For years, Facebook users have called for the company to insert a “dislike” button to complement its now legendary Like button. It has been speculated for quite a while that the social network juggernaut would soon incorporate it, but nothing has come to fruition…until now.
Facebook founder Mark Zucker said in a Q&A session in California that the company is currently finding a new way for users to use a dislike button for posts they don’t necessarily like. Although it may be a no-brainer to many to just simply install this type of button, Zuckerberg noted that the outlet would have to discover a method to add the button without people abusing it to demean others’ posts.
With users clicking the iconic Like button 4.5 billion times a day, there is a high possibility of this actually transpiring. Others aren’t so sure, though, that this is the reason because many contend that the Like button is a technique for Facebook to collect data on its users’ browsing behaviors.
“One of things we’ve thought about for quite a while is what’s the right way to make it so that people can easily express a broader range of emotions,” Mark Zuckerberg told an audience at Facebook’s headquarters. “A lot of times people share things on Facebook that are sad moments in their lives. Often people tell us that they don’t feel comfortable pressing ‘like’ because ‘like’ isn’t the appropriate sentiment.”
Zuckerberg added that people ask for the dislike feature because it allows them to convey the message that this piece of content isn’t a good thing, and it’s important to remember, says Zuckerberg, that there are various emotions individuals want to emit.
“We need to figure out the right way to do it so it ends up being a force for good, not a force for bad,” said Zuckerberg. “It’s part of building a safe community. On Facebook, most people refer to themselves by their real name and that’s a very important part of our culture.”
Bottom line: Facebook won’t necessarily be adding a dislike button, but rather another type of button that summarizes various negative emotions. Many analysts agree.
Paul Coggins, chief executive of ad firm Adludio, told BBC News that adding features that could display an array of sentiments could make advertisers nervous, and since the social network is all about the revenues, they need to continue making their marketers happy.
“They need to keep their advertisers happy. I would think it highly unlikely that they would come up with a button that says you can ‘dislike,'” explained Coggins. “I think they will extend the success of the like button, which has been huge. Rather than have a quick yes-no, which is a bit black and white, my guess is that they’ll probably look to do something with a bit more sentiment around it.”
Whether or not Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) actually implements the dislike option next year remains to be seen. In the meantime, Zuckerberg’s main objective in 2015 is to become fluent in Mandarin. So it’s quite possible he’ll learn the dialect completely before the dislike, or some type of incarnation, button arrives.
