Don’t accuse Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg of failing to listen to his audience—eventually. For years, Facebook users have been asking for a “dislike” button, but Zuckerberg has adamantly refused.
At a town hall held last December, for example, Zuckerberg dismissed the idea of a "dislike" button, according to NBC News. "Some people have asked for a dislike button because they want to be able to say 'that thing isn't good,' and we're not going to do that," Zuckerberg said. "I don't think that's socially very valuable, or great for the community."
But users have continued asking, and now Zuckerberg has capitulated, saying last week that Facebook was testing alternatives to the “Like” button.
No release date has been set and it’s not known whether it would actually be called a "dislike" button.
The tool wouldn't be for expressing disdain for posts, Zuckerberg said. Instead, it would be for showing empathy for posts that seem inappropriate to "Like," such as news of natural disasters or loved ones dying, NBC News said.
A “dislike” button most likely would change the dynamic of how people use Facebook, which now has 1.1 billion monthly active users.
Depending on what the button is eventually called it may (in a counterintuitive way) be a boon to brands and organizations that rely on Facebook to get their messages out and communicate with customers and prospects.
It’s one thing when people “like” your products or services. But it’s not much of a spark for a conversation or a drill-down into what people are thinking.
In contrast, when someone says something is “inappropriate” it causes brand managers to take a closer look at the message and examine why the message/post/image may disagree with some constituents and/or prospects.
It’s human nature. People generally respond to the negative with more force than they do the positive. Once Facebook decides what to call its alternative button (and makes it available), the result may be much sharper consumer insights for brands and organizations to tap into.
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