Since Facebook was launched in 2004, billions of people–the whole world, essentially–have been enraptured. We can now stay updated with all our friends and relatives, no matter where they are. We can see their photos, talk to them through messages, and comment on their posts. There’s even a special little button to show that we enjoy their content.
But as time goes by, it’s becoming more accepted that the “like” button is no longer sufficient. We’ve all stumbled across those particular posts that invoke sadness or even anger. In such cases, wouldn’t “liking” these posts mean that we, in fact, enjoy seeing sadness and anger?
For years now, Facebook’s users have been asking for a “dislike” button for this very reason. Just last year, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg was asked about adding a dislike button to Facebook, which he respectfully declined:
“Some people have asked for a dislike button because they want to be able to say ‘that thing isn’t good,’ and we’re not going to do that . . . I don’t think that’s socially very valuable, or great for the community.”
This makes at least some sense from a business perspective. A feature such as a “dislike” button can easily be abused; instead of using it to show sympathy, some users may use it in a plethora of more harmful ways. What company’s CEO would agree to implement a feature that would foster negativity?
However, Zuckerberg recently had a change of heart. Now, the long awaited “dislike” button will become a reality.
How will this turn out for Facebook? Will the social media site now become a hub of anger, aggression, and bullying? Not very likely. Similar features, albeit for different purposes, have been a part of two very large media sites–YouTube and Reddit–since their conception. Of course the feature is abused by some on both platforms, but generally it, along with the “like” feature, gives audiences/readers insight to the content quality of the post.
So, like it or not (haha), this big change to Facebook will soon come into effect. What are your thoughts on the new feature? Do you think it can serve a good purpose, or will it just supersaturate Facebook’s already astounding level of drama?
Originally posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News
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