# Facebook getting a dislike button **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 15, 2015, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-getting-a-dislike-button/731404 "2015-09-15T20:33:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-getting-a-dislike-button/731404/21 "2015-09-16T05:21:04Z")
Many people use the “like” button simply as a way to acknowledge having read a post in a thread they started. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-getting-a-dislike-button/731404/22 "2015-09-16T06:10:49Z")
YouTube has a thumbs down link that does absolutely nothing. I don’t understand why they even keep it around. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-getting-a-dislike-button/731404/23 "2015-09-16T11:24:43Z")
They should just change the like button to something else, like maybe Seen or Read. The times when like is inappropriate, dislike isn’t appropriate either. At least not most of the time for me. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-getting-a-dislike-button/731404/24 "2015-09-16T15:51:47Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > YouTube has a thumbs down link that does absolutely nothing. I don’t understand why they even keep it around. Indeed. If it does do anything it’s not apparent. I think they are just trying to pacify us. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-getting-a-dislike-button/731404/25 "2015-09-16T15:58:26Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > I’d be rather keen for a Milgram button. This post gave me my first laugh today! Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-getting-a-dislike-button/731404/26 "2015-09-16T16:24:15Z")
Both my husband and I work in public service, and all too frequently, a friend will post something about someone in public service having been killed on the job, or injured/threatened by someone. And it feels so awkward, because I’m grateful to the person for having informed me, but there’s no way I’m going to like something like that. But in those instances, even posting words of support feels rather misplaced. Last week, a firefighter in Michigan was intentionally hit and killed while collecting donations for charity. If a firefighter friend posts this, it feels weird to say “I’m sorry for your loss” or something, because the loss isn’t a personal loss (I don’t live anywhere near Michigan), but more of a general loss for the firefighter community. If there were a dislike button, I would finally have a quick way of saying, essentially, “Thank you for posting this.” (Granted, I could just write “thank you for posting this” … but clicking a button is easier.) ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-getting-a-dislike-button/731404/27 "2015-09-16T16:48:59Z")
Sounds like less of a “This is stupid” dislike and more of a “Man, that sucks” dislike so you can click a button about people getting maimed, kidnapped or other foul events without saying “I like this!” ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-getting-a-dislike-button/731404/28 "2015-09-16T17:32:25Z")
Funny, but when we reduce the entire range of potential human communication to having to choose between two single mostly opposite words, a lot of the value of human communication goes right out the window. Who’da thunk it??! But it does simplify life for the bots struggling to build a saleable dossier on each of us. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-getting-a-dislike-button/731404/29 "2015-09-16T19:27:10Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > They need a lot more buttons than “like” and “dislike” to appropriately express the breadth of human emotion. Such as buttons for “I’m feeling conflicted about this”, “Meh”, “Lulz”, “What does that even mean?”, “Simply cromulent”, and “Death to the infidels!”, at a bare minimum. Heck, with this kind of emotion explosion, the return of Smashie can’t be far behind! ---
**Author:** ![John\_D\_Adamo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ed8c4c/32.png) [@John\_D\_Adamo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_D_Adamo)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-getting-a-dislike-button/731404/30 "2015-09-16T20:50:20Z")
The dislike button is not going to be there with like, eg reddit or other inane places- it is going to be designed for posts that are inappropriate for the “like” feature- haven’t we all seen the awkward post of “My grandma has cancer, appreciate the support” and 60 likes accompanying it? > **[Is Facebook Really Working on a 'Dislike' Button?](https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-working-dislike-button-n427851)** > > Facebook might finally give users the ability to 'dislike' things. ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-getting-a-dislike-button/731404/31 "2015-09-16T23:43:51Z")
> [@John\_D\_Adamo](#): > > The dislike button is not going to be there with like, eg reddit or other inane places- it is going to be designed for posts that are inappropriate for the “like” feature- haven’t we all seen the awkward post of “My grandma has cancer, appreciate the support” and 60 likes accompanying it? I’m still not clear on how this will be rolled out (and it doesn’t sound like Zuckerberg is either), but it makes a lot more sense for Facebook to give users the option of including a “Dislike” or “This sucks” button rather than indiscriminately including it with every post. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-getting-a-dislike-button/731404/32 "2015-09-16T23:49:19Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Sounds like less of a “This is stupid” dislike and more of a “Man, that sucks” dislike so you can click a button about people getting maimed, kidnapped or other foul events without saying “I like this!” It seems to me that the problem could be resolved by removing the “like” label from the “like” button, and simply replacing it with “button”. Maybe make it the “I acknowledge your existence” button. Or the “pay attention to me!” button. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-getting-a-dislike-button/731404/33 "2015-09-16T23:55:16Z")
> [@John\_D\_Adamo](#): > > The dislike button is not going to be there with like, eg reddit or other inane places- it is going to be designed for posts that are inappropriate for the “like” feature- haven’t we all seen the awkward post of “My grandma has cancer, appreciate the support” and 60 likes accompanying it? > > [Mark Zuckerberg: Facebook Working on 'Dislike' Button ... Kind Of](http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-working-dislike-button-n427851) Exactly. It is going to be more of a “Sorry” button which I think FB could use. ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-getting-a-dislike-button/731404/34 "2015-09-17T13:24:31Z")
There is another problem here. The “Like” button is tied to much more than just showing one’s approval of a facebook post. It directly affects the newsfeed. This is all part of Facebook’s attitutde of, “Let us determine what you want to see” mentality. So adding a “Dislike” button, or a range of buttons to show empathy and emotion… what would that do to the already screwed up newsfeed? Personally, if they want to do this, they should make the newsfeed show the posts of everyone I’m friends with in the order they posted and leave the “Lilke” and “Dislike” buttons to show the approval or disapproval. Just my $.02 worth. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-getting-a-dislike-button/731404.md?page=1)