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In a
town hall-style question and answer session Tuesday, Zuckerberg
took questions from users about topics ranging from virtual
reality to his wife's pregnancy. Yet most Facebook users fixated
on his announcement that the 1.5-billion user social network was
working on adding a button other than "like."
Users flooded Zuckerberg's official Facebook page with nearly
3,000 comments largely about the dislike option. While some said
they would use Facebook more if the button were introduced,
others said it would lead to cyberbullying and more negativity
on the site.
"Please don't put a dislike button, as much as there is times I
would love it, would much rather express my thoughts in words to
be completely direct on my opinion," said user Andrea Robichaud.
Users have been asking for a dislike button for several years,
Zuckerberg said, though it may not necessarily be named dislike
or be represented with a thumbs down. He added that the company
was preparing to test a version of the button.
"Not every moment is a good moment," Zuckerberg said.
The button's aim, he said, would be to express empathy on posts
that may reference topics where "like" is not the appropriate
response, such as the refugee crisis or the death of a loved
one.
Some users offered alternative suggestions that they thought
would minimize harassment on the site, such as adding a
"sympathy" button instead or allowing users to opt out of the
"dislike" button on their posts.
Others took a more humorous approach. Vince Vogel suggested
Facebook offer "public smile, private smile, private frown and
public frown" instead of like and dislike.
Analysts are not expecting a huge financial payoff if the
company goes forward, and Facebook shares rose slightly
Wednesday on the first full trading session after the
announcement, up 0.5 percent to around $93.40.
"If it takes off it will help engagement," said Stern Agee
analyst Arvind Bhatia, although noting the revenue impact would
not be great. "This is probably more in response to what
Facebook sees as a feature requested by users."
(Reporting by Yasmeen Abutaleb; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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