Mark Zuckerberg Open to Idea of Adding a “Dislike” Button to Facebook

There are some times when clicking "like" on a friend's Facebook status doesn't feel appropriate. A bad day. A loved one lost. A break up.

Mark Zuckerberg is thinking about adding a "dislike" button to Facebook, but not for the reason you think.

Mark Zuckerberg founder/CEO of Facebook

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has ruled out adding a ‘dislike’ button on Facebook “anytime soon.” The 30 year-old says there has been great demand and the social network is looking for ways users can “express a wider range of emotions.”

On Wednesday, Facebook CEO and boy wonder Mark Zuckerberg held his second-ever video Q&A with the public, which was streamed live on Facebook for the world to see. The town-hall style session, held at the company’s Menlo Park headquarters, hosted active Facebookers from around the country, as well as employees. It opened with a question from a UC Davis law student named Eric: “Judging by the success of the Like button, has there been any conversations about adding a Dislike button?”

“You know, we’re thinking about it, on the Dislike button,” Zuckerberg replied, and the floodgates of the Internet burst open.

The idea has been on Mark Zuckerberg's radar for a while, he said. In 2010, he told ABC News' Diane Sawyer that that Facebook would "definitely think about" adding a dislike button.

"People definitely seem to want it," Zuckerberg said.

"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," he said — because a "dislike" or other negative sentiment could easily be used for the wrong reasons. It's worth noting this isn't the first time Zuckerberg has claimed to be "thinking about" a dislike button he's made similar comments as far back as 2010.

"Testing is a really important part of how Facebook works overall," Zuckerberg explained.

It’s not as simple as just tossing in a new button. According to Zuckerberg, he wants to take a measured approach to this as he wants to see what the impact of a dislike button could have for users, although at the same time he believes that such a button that allows users to effectively disagree with something might actually be a good idea.

“I think giving people the power to express more emotions would be powerful, but we need to find out the right way to do it, so that it is a force for good and not bad and demeaning the person out there,” Zuckerberg added.

Of course none of this is a guarantee that Facebook will eventually implement such a feature, but what do you guys think? Do you think that having a dislike button would allow more users to voice their opinions, especially for those who’d rather not leave comments?

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