There have been calls for a Facebook dislike button for years and now the social media giant is expanding a trial of an up/down voting system after 5% of Android mobile users in the US were chosen to test it in February. It seems to be an inadvertent “dislike” button.
Now, some users in New Zealand and Australia may notice that they are able to respond to any public comments with an ‘up’ or ‘down’ vote, similar to forum site Reddit.
According to CNet, Facebook stated they would only roll out the trial in New Zealand, although some Australian users have noticed that they are also able to use the new trial feature.
>> Amazon Releases Record Q1 Financial Results
Why Is Facebook Trying This Out?
As stated, there have been calls for a Facebook dislike button for years as users grapple with the need to respond negatively to comments made on the site. Back in 2016, the firm did introduce its “react” feature – which allows users to react to posts with an emotion such as angry, sad, laughing, shocked and love as well as the typical “like” button – in response. But this seemed more like a workaround on Facebook’s part as the firm seemed reluctant to allow users to directly “dislike” a comment as opposed to “liking” it.
Hmmmm. Not sure I like the Upvote and Downvote feature of Facebook. Time will tell I guess. pic.twitter.com/hxvjW7HaTX
— BEN SLATER ? (@iambenslater) April 29, 2018
This is set to change with the rollout of the downvote button. Facebook is still reluctant to call it a “dislike” button, as a spokesperson told UK-based MailOnline: “We are not testing a dislike button … we are exploring a feature for people to give us feedback about comments.” This seems purely superficial, though. If we’re being honest, the new button works in exactly the way a “dislike” feature would, even if it doesn’t go by that name.
>> Highlights From Mark Zuckerberg’s Senate Testimonial
There has been no comment by Facebook on whether – or when – they plan to roll out the system even further. This will likely depend on whether the system is proven to work in the way the firm intends. That is, to “better public discussions” and give more visibility to “the comments that readers believe deserve to rank highest,” said a Facebook spokesperson.
Facebook stocks are down -0.57% at the time of writing, though it is unclear whether this is related to the trial or not. Stocks remain in the green for the past five-day period though, after prices surged over 8% last Thursday.
Featured image: Recode/Sean Gallup/Getty
