Facebook Dislike Button Receives ‘Likes’ And ‘Dislikes’ Before Launch
The long-awaited Facebook dislike button that was recently announced has already received both likes and dislikes even before its launch, with some saying it will better channel users’ true emotions on sad events and others warning of its trolling and bullying potential.
As the Inquisitr reported earlier, Mark Zuckerberg originally announced that the purpose of the upcoming Facebook dislike button will be to act more as an “empathy button.’
“Not every moment is a good moment,” as Zuckerberg himself stated.
Facebook Dislike Button May Be Coming Soon – http://t.co/UhvLlIbFCV
— The Inquisitr (@theinquisitr) December 12, 2014
Practically every Facebook user who wanted to quickly sign off a sympathetic note without typing in a full comment right away knows how odd it feels to click on the current thumbs-up like button on posts like the death of a friend’s relative, a divorce, or even something a cut finger or bruised knee.
“Experts say it will be overwhelmingly be positive,” Korin Miller, a Yahoo Health writer, said.
Why Facebook's #dislike button is a "like" for mental health https://t.co/lO7YazM8Af via @YahooHealth pic.twitter.com/cgWw92J6SO
— Yahoo (@Yahoo) September 16, 2015
Miller, citing several psychology experts, said the Facebook dislike button will be much better for social users, as it will provide them with a better emotional experience.
“It will allow for a more congruent emotional experience, on the part of whoever is posting as well as those who are commenting,” clinical psychologist Erika Martinez, PsyD, said.
Media Psychology Research Center director Pamela Rutlege, PhD, said the Facebook dislike button will also prove to be more supportive to people going through emotionally harsh times. (Think of a layoff, a breakup, or the death of a relative. According to Rutlege, the dislike button will help give someone going through hard times some validating reassuring reaction.
“It allows the person experiencing the emotions the opportunity to make sense out of what he or she is feeling and to begin to frame it in a way that facilitates grieving.”
On the other hand, many people have expressed their worry and concern that the upcoming Facebook dislike button will facilitate more cyberbullying and trolling. Reuters reported that many users have already expressed their dislike toward the Facebook dislike button idea.
Forbes contributor and independent analyst Tony Bradley wrote a long elaborate article expressing why he thinks the Facebook dislike button is a horrible idea.
“I used to think a ‘Dislike’ button would make sense but now I think it’s a horrible idea,” he said, adding that the addition of a Facebook dislike button would “distill the drama behind Facebook interactions to a simple click or tap on a thumbs down icon.”
While nobody – except for those behind the scenes – really knows how the new Facebook dislike button will look, it is hard to argue that there is negative potential for the button.
What is your opinion on the Facebook dislike button? Are you all for it? Against it? Or should Facebook make the dislike button function option and let users opt out of it on their profiles and pages? Leave your comments and thoughts below.
[Photo by Doug Pensinger / Getty Images Sports]
