We’ve all been there—that awkward moment when a friend or family member shares a post on Facebook that we don’t necessarily “like,” but see fit that is acknowledged in some fashion. It’s also become something of a meme to point out when people “like” a post that doesn’t really seem all that likable: e.g. posts that cover crises.
For quite some time now, Facebook users have been clamoring for an option to “dislike” posted content. As revealed by Mark Zuckerberg himself on Tuesday, September 15, 2015 at a Q&A, such a feature may find itself in the news feeds of Facebook’s 1+ billion users in the not-so-distant future.
“Not every moment is a good moment. If you share something that’s sad, like a refugee crisis that touches you or a family member passes away, it may not be comfortable to ‘like’ that post…I do think it’s important to give people more options than liking it.” Zuckerberg said. So, a “dislike” button, huh? Perhaps not…well, at least not exactly. Reading between the lines of Zuckerberg’s comments, it seems more likely we’ll see something that offers different options for various types of empathy.
How do you feel about the possible addition of a dislike…erm, empathy button? I’d like to suggest a “facepalm” option next…just sayin’!