Everyone has been there. That awkward moment when friends or relatives lose their beloved pet, or experience some other loss, and Facebook users are forced to give their heartbreaking posts a virtual thumbs up.
But not for long, as Chief Executive of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg announced during a Q&A session on Tuesday, Sept. 15. The world’s most popular social network will soon be unveiling a button(s) to act as a companion to the traditional “Like” option.
Although Facebookers have been requesting a “Dislike” button for years, the company has been hesitant out of fear of spreading too much online negativity. In lieu of popular demand, the social media site is now ready to recognize that “Like” doesn’t cover every status update and situation.
“What they really want is the ability to express empathy,” said Zuckerberg during the live stream from Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. “Not every moment is a good moment.”
However, Zuckerberg isn’t calling Facebook’s next release a “Dislike” button. Instead, its 1.5 billion users will likely have a “Sympathize” button, or series of buttons, to convey support of their friends.
“Some people have asked for a ‘Dislike’ button because they want to say, ‘That thing isn’t good.’ And that’s not something that we think is good for the world. So we’re not going to build that,” said Zuckerberg during a similar Q&A last December.
With its “Sympathize” button, Facebook is trying to avoid the currently popular trend of up voting and down voting, seen on such services as Reddit and Yik Yak. Plus, the giant social network doesn’t want to discourage users from sharing and “liking” as freely as they do now.
In response to Zuckerberg’s latest announcement, Wired asked designers to “tackle the challenge of creating a subtle alternative to the ‘Like’ button” in an article entitled “5 Ideas for a Smarter Facebook ‘Dislike’ Button.”
The results included an “Ear” button (as in, “I hear you”), holding hands in the shape of a heart, the “Point Up, Look Up” button and a neutral half moon.
Regardless of what the new button will look like, or even what it’s called, Facebook users will be sure to waste no time in clicking their dislike/sympathy once the new button is finally released.
