Facebook To Introduce Alternative To Dislike Button As New Option To Express Empathy Is Tested

by Benson Agoha | Techonology

Not Everyone is `Likeable'. It is a fact. Indeed not everything is `Likeable' either. Think of those things people say to us that we disapprove of. So is Facebook about to introduce a `Dislike Button'?

* Mark Zuckerberg say's alternative to `dislike' button is coming..

One Zayad from Cairo, Egypt asked Facebook founder during a Townhall Q&A session in the company’s Menlo Park headquarters, saying "Mark, we need to have more options than just the `Like Button', Why don't you have other button's like `Am sorry', `Interesting' or `Dislike'?

Responding, Facebook Founder, Mark Zuckerberg said: “I think people have asked about the dislike button for many years. Probably hundreds of people have asked about this,” adding “Today is a special day because today is the day where I actually get to say we are working on it and are very close to shipping a test of it.”

Zuckerberg said it wasn't as straightforward as just developing a Dislike button because friends want a chance to express empathy and that these come through various expressions.

“Not every moment is a good moment and if you are sharing something that is sad, like the refugee crisis that touches you, or a family member passed away, it may not feel comfortable to like that post,” he said. “But your friends and people want to be able to express that they understand and that they relate to you. So I do think it’s important to give people more options than just like as a quick way to emote and share what they are feeling on a post.”

“We have been working on this for a while. It’s surprisingly complicated to make an interaction that you want to be that simple. We have an idea that we think we’re going to be ready to test soon. And depending on how it does, we’ll roll it out more broadly.”

He said "Thank you for all the feedback over the years, I think we have finally heard you and we are going to deliver something we think will be able to meet the need of our communities in here.