During a recent Q&A session, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that a “dislike” button is under development.

Critics have pounced, claws out, at the news. The consensus? Zuckerberg is about to ruin everything. Headlines call the button-to-be a “total disaster.” Stories frame it as an “error in judgment” and blast it as a “comeback for negative thinking.” Brace for impact, everyone. This is a big, bad button.

Surprise, surprise – the media are overreacting again, completely missing Zuckerberg’s point. Despite the implications of its name, the “dislike” feature is not about anti-liking. Its purpose, rather, is to allow users to express a broader range of emotional responses online. Though counterintuitive, the “dislike” button would likely promote positivity, though we would never think that from its name.

It is not hard to understand why people would assume this feature to be bad news. Critics fear, reasonably, that the option will toxify relationships, stimulate drama or serve as a new weapon for cyberbullies. After all, more negativity in an already-cynical cyberspace is the last thing anyone needs.

Just last year, even the young Facebook CEO himself was not convinced. He initially rejected the idea of a “dislike” button too, stating that negativity had no social value to the community.

Despite his 180-degree flip on the button debate, Zuckerberg continues to be fully opposed to furthering a negative environment online. He does not wish to make the website into a forum for users to rate each other’s posts, like Reddit or YouTube. In fact, he is actively committed to promoting positivity.

Zuckerberg is optimistic about the effects of the button and is confident in its capacity to do good. After years of user feedback, the 31-year-old is beginning to understand why users want to express something other than a thumbs-up, and that their motivations are not with bad intention.

“People aren’t looking for an ability to downvote other people’s posts. What they really want is to be able to express empathy, and not every moment is a good moment,” he said in his announcement of the feature.

In other words, users want a “dislike” option to convey positivity and support. When a friend announces unemployment, illness or heartbreak via Facebook, followers want to convey compassion. In these cases, throwing a “like” feels inappropriate and inadequate. Instead, we want to say: “I dislike that this is happening to you.”

Alison Gala is a senior public relations major and Spanish minor. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at aegala@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @alison_gala.

Published on September 21, 2015 at 10:04 pm