Since the creation of the 'Like' button in 2009, Facebook users have been clamoring for a 'Dislike' button. It has now been confirmed that that feature will be added.
Mark Zuckerberg told the world in a livestreamed Q&A from Facebook's headquarters about the new feature. "I think people have asked about the dislike button for many years. Today is a special day because today is the day I can say we're working on it and shipping it."
Facebook has notoriously shied away from the idea of a 'Dislike' button for years. Many associates, from executives to Mr. Zuckerberg himself, have been extremely open about why they didn't initially add the feature.
Facebook didn't want the feature due to keeping negativity out of their atmosphere. They didn't want to create a downvoting system found in places such as Reddit and, in the process, spread negativity. "That isn't what we're here to build in the world," said Zuckerberg.
Since then, though, Facebook has changed their stance and realized that a 'Dislike' isn't necessarily a downvote. "If you're expressing something sad... it may not feel comfortable to 'Like' that post, but your friends and people may want to be able to express that they understand," said Zuckerberg.
This feature may be useful in events such as expressing sympathy in the event of a family loss or other unfortunate events, such as a natural disaster.
It may also be beneficial in helping decide what makes it onto your News Feed. The News Feed is an essential part of Facebook, and serves as a sort of dashboard in which all content that may interest you from both recommended pages and 'Friends' is put into one convenient place for users.
In this case, a 'Dislike' button could be used as a downvoting feature so as to help Facebook find content better suited to the user. "If people find things that they find meaningful and they learn from them, then they'll be more likely to stay with us in the long run," said News Feed Product Management Director Adam Mosseri.
Want to know when the feature rolls out to users? Follow @VAVEL_Tech on Twitter for updates on the 'Dislike' feature and more news from the world of technology.
Jack Griffin is an editor for the Technology and Music sections of VAVEL USA. Follow him on Twitter at @jacksonlgriffin.