Facebook’s “like” button has become iconic and is one of the simplest and most popular ways in which people interact with each other and with businesses on the site. Likes are also highly sought after by businesses who know the more likes they get, the further their business message is likely to spread. However, there are times when the “like” button seems a little too simplistic and is not suitable for the particular post we want to acknowledge.
Despite recent reports, it seems that Facebook is not actually about to add a “dislike” button, although this is probably something we’d all love to use from time to time. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has stated that the social media giant doesn’t want people to simply up or downvote peoples’ posts; instead, what they really want is something which allows them to express empathy when somebody posts about a tragic news event, a negative thought or a struggle they are going through.
A new empathy button will also allow Facebook to gather even more information about users and what makes them tick. The social media marketing that takes place on the site is largely based on the data you have provided about yourself, so that advertisers can effectively target their markets. It could also affect the content you see in your newsfeed as Facebook tailors this according to the type of posts you consistently interact with.
We’ve all seen those kinds of posts on Facebook where we want to show that we have noticed them, yet the “like” button seems inappropriate. Hopefully the new options will provide a more suitable way for us to connect to each other on social media. Whatever new features they introduce, it’s clear that Facebook will continue to grow and expand their operations and continue their status as the world’s largest and most popular social media platform.