Facebook users have long been asking for a “Dislike” button to accompany the social network’s well-known “Like” button, and now Facebook is finally going to give it to them.
During an event at Facebook’s headquarters, CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed that Facebook is working on “Dislike” button and that it’s “very close” to shipping a trial version of it. "People have asked about the 'dislike' button for many years, and probably hundreds of people have asked about this,” Zuckerberg explained, “and today is a special day because today is the day that I actually get to say we are working on it, and are very close to shipping a test of it.”
The Facebook CEO explains that he’s avoided making a “Dislike” button for a while because he doesn’t want Facebook to turn into a Reddit-style forum where people can upvote or downvote posts. He’s apparently decided to change his mind because he now feels that a “Dislike” button could let people properly express empathy with a friend, saying that some people may not feel comfortable “Liking” a post that’s sad.
It’s kind of crazy to think that Facebook is finally going to roll out a “Dislike” button after years of users asking for it. Zuckerberg’s explanation for finally deciding to implement the button makes sense, though I’m sure we’ll see some people being jerks and “Disliking” nice posts, too. But at least now Facebook users are getting what they've been clamoring for.