Facebook has recently announced the addition of new features to its outdated networking site after years of requests from users to add in a “dislike” button, despite the negative feedback that may come along with the feature.
With new and more popular competition threatening its hold on the No. 1 spot on the market share, the company plans to publish a series of new updates such as “instant articles,” interactive maps and an “empathy” button which will allow users to go beyond the ambiguity of a “like.”
In a public forum recently held by Mark Zuckerburg, Facebook chairman and CEO, he stated the highly-requested dislike button would be implemented, with a key change in Facebook’s approach to it.
“We didn’t want to just build a ‘dislike’ button because we don’t want to turn Facebook into a forum where people are voting up or down on people’s posts,” said Zuckerburg. “That doesn’t seem like the kind of community we want to create.”
Zuckerberg expressed what people want is a way to express sympathy toward posts that may be inappropriate to “like,” such as tragedies, the passing of family members and current refugee crisis in Syria.
“(A dislike button) would not be a good idea,” said Braden Devey, freshman film studies major. “It is just negative and I would not support that.”
