Facebook to begin testing ‘dislike’ button

Facebook’s famous “like” button, with its silhouette of a thumbs-up, will soon be accompanied by an alternative: a way to “dislike” a post.

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's co-founder and chief executive, said on Tuesday that many users had requested a dislike option, and that the company would soon begin testing a button to express negative emotions on the social network.

Facebook has long resisted the notion of a dislike button, saying it preferred to encourage positive interactions among its 1.5 billion users.

But Mr Zuckerberg said during a town-hall-style discussion with users that the company recognized there were many situations, like the migrant crisis in Syria, where people want to express empathy but “like” isn’t the right emotion.

“Not every good moment is a good moment,” he said, adding that “it may not feel comfortable” to like a sad post.

“It’s important to give people more options than just like,” Mr Zuckerberg said.

It was unclear whether the new button would be labeled “dislike” or use another term to convey emotion.

A Facebook spokeswoman declined to provide further details.

New York Times service