Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of
Facebook, announced on Tuesday at a town hall Q&A that his social media
site is working on creating a ‘dislike’ button. There has been speculation for
years, from people who use Facebook daily, about whether or not there will ever
be anything besides a ‘like’ button. People have talked about having some way
to express emotion besides a comment or a ‘like’.
Zuckerberg spoke of the ‘dislike’ button,
but said that it would be used, not as an aggressive attack at a post, but
rather to sympathize and empathize with someone. He gave the example of a death
in a family, and how the ‘like’ button does not seem appropriate, but at the
same time, we feel compelled to show our support for friends on the social
network. Zuckerberg was quoted in two articles as saying, “What they really
want is the ability to express empathy… Not every moment is a good moment.”
Personally, I think that adding a ‘dislike’
button is a mistake for Facebook. The nature of social media can already be
completely cruel, and a ‘dislike’ button opens the door for even more animosity
electronically. Cyber bullying is a big issue, and as of now, it does not sound
like Facebook has a way to restrain how the ‘dislike’ button would be allowed
to be used. Making it empathy oriented sounds like a very noble addition on
Zuckerberg’s part, but the real application of such a constricted use is not conceivable
at the moment. For the sake of Facebook as a social media platform and a
business, as well as those who use its facilities, Zuckerberg would be smart to
keep the ‘dislike’ button nonexistent.
I agree with the statement that a dislike button would cause some controversy for Facebook. Although it could represent empathy, problems could arise concerning its use to "bully". A viable solution to this issue is to give users the option to have the dislike button available on the posts they compose before they actually post it. Therefore, if someone does not want to have the problems associated with the dislike button, he or she can omit them.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your opinion about not adding a dislike button to Facebook. Especially with the big issue of cyber bullying, this is the last thing that Facebook needs. Mark Zuckerberg made a good point about wanting to add it so people can express empathy and sadness, but let's be honest–most children and teenagers will not use it in that way. They'll dislike their friend's picture or status just to be funny, eventually upsetting their friend. Not a whole lot of people will use it the way Zuckerberg hopes. Also, if someone wants to express their empathy, they do not have to like it and can still comment something such as, "I am so sorry for your loss. You are in my prayers." I truly hope Facebook does not have a dislike button in the future.
ReplyDeleteWhile I really do see the disadvantages of a dislike button, I also do see some advantages. So many people are on Facebook nowadays and I really think the dislike button could actually help to stop cyberbullying and limit what people put on Facebook. If someone is publicly bullying someone on Facebook, the dislike button could help by making the bullies remarks get lots of dislikes. Bullying online has become very common because it is so easy to bully from behind a computer, but I also think that standing up for yourself and others becomes easier. The ability to dislike a bullies post could make the bully see how many people actually think he is wrong. While I know this would not always be the case, I think it is a situation where the dislike button could really help. However, I think it would be in Facebook's best interest to add the option for a dislike button as Kirsten recommended.
ReplyDeleteI think that many people (myself included) have thought a dislike button would be a fun feature to use. I often see comments on posts that read "dislike" and know that several people would use the dislike button. I think it would be more of a convenience for users when they want to express themselves. In regards to the issue of bullying, I think, as terrible as it is, if someone wants to bully you, they will go out of their way to do so with or without the dislike button. Furthermore, Facebook already has systems in place to report issues of this kind. So, people who would like to use the dislike button for the original purpose, "that it would be used, not as an aggressive attack at a post, but rather to sympathize and empathize with someone" should not be limited based on immature use of the button by others (especially since they could be reported on Facebook).
ReplyDelete