Facebook Chief and Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday said that a new icon is coming soon to Facebook that will allow users to show emotions opposite to the popular thumbs up icon, the "dislike" button. He announced this new development during the townhall Q&A session, which was streamed live online from the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, California, a report from IGN said.
It can be recalled that the "dislike" button has been a subject of heavy discussions before when users proposed to the Facebook CEO for it to be added on the social networking website. At first, Facebook hesitated because it claimed that there are multiple ways for users to express emotions; for instance, by using emoticons or emotional icons. However, despite Zuckerberg's earlier announcement, he has now revealed that the dislike button is in the works.
"People have asked about the 'dislike' button for many years, and probably hundreds of people have asked about this 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," said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, as quoted from the report.
USA Today reports that the company will soon unveil the button, but it is unlikely that it will be called a "dislike" button. It was said that Zuckerberg is planning to unveil a "sympathize" button that will eventually express support or convey a gesture of solidarity. It is expected that once the button or a series of buttons are officially rolled out, more than 1.5 million Facebook users will interact using the said button.
"We need to figure out the right way to do it so it ends up being a force for good, not a force for bad. Everyone feels like they can just push the Like button, and that's an important way to sympathize or empathize with someone. But there are times when you may want the simplicity of a one-click response but a 'like' doesn't feel appropriate," Zuckerberg said, adding that "not every moment is a good moment."
