Is Facebook Getting A ‘Dislike’ Button Or An ‘Empathy’ Button?

Facebook users have been asking for a ‘dislike’ button for years, and Mark Zuckerberg recently revealed that they could be getting their wish – or something like it.

Facebook ‘Dislike’ Button?

Zuckerberg addressed the ongoing feedback about a dislike button in a public Q&A Tuesday.

“I think people have asked about the Dislike button for many years and probably hundreds of people have asked about this,” Zuckerberg said. “Today is a special day because today is the day where I actually get to say that we’re working on it, and are very close to shipping a test of it.”

Zuckerberg then revealed the catch – the company hasn’t been working on a “dislike” button, but rather an alternative option that doesn’t give people the opportunity to downvote. The Facebook founder believes that people don’t really even want a “dislike” button; they want a way to convey empathy when met with an unfortunate or tragic post.

“We didn’t want to just build a Dislike button because we don’t want to turn Facebook into a forum where people are voting up or down on people’s posts. That doesn’t seem like the kind of community we want to create,” said Zuckerberg. “People aren’t looking for an ability to downvote other people’s posts. What they really want is to be able to express empathy.”

“Not every moment is a good moment, right? And if you are sharing something that is sad, whether it’s something in current events like the refugee crisis that touches you or if a family member passed away, then it might not feel comfortable to Like that post,” Zuckerberg added. “But your friends and people want to be able to express that they understand and that they relate to you.”

Zuckerberg admitted that it hasn’t been easy to pin down the best way for people to express such an emotion via a Facebook button. The interaction that Facebook has devised, however, will be ready to test soon, and will be made available to all Facebook users pending the trial period.