Here's something you might click "Like" on: Facebook might soon bring the "Dislike" button.
Everyone's favorite social network is testing the Dislike button. But sadly for those who have been clamoring for it, the test is not going to happen on status threads. Instead, it will appear on Messenger, Facebook's own chat application.
The social network company also wants to attach emojis similar to the Reactions feature in the news feed.
Dislike Is Coming
According to a report, Facebook rolled out the trial feature on Messenger app to a small number of people. The feature will be like the Reactions feature that people find in a normal news feed. The Reactions feature is a set of emojis that expanded the erstwhile "thumbs up / Like" button.
In the new feature, when you hover over your friend's message, you can tap the emoji button to choose whether to send a Heart (Love), LOL, Sad, Angry, Wow, Like, and the new Dislike button. Everyone in the chat thread can see the list of those who clicked their Reactions.
"We're always testing ways to make Messenger more fun and engaging. This is a small test where we enable people to share an emoji that best represents their feelings on a message," confirmed Facebook in one report. This "small test" statement hints at future rollout to all users should Facebook decide to implement it.
The Dislike feature has been a long-clamored-for feature. But Facebook resisted the calls to add this button, fearing it will promote negativity. Also, it can be used for bullying and the idea ultimately became unpopular especially with brands. With the ongoing test, Facebook can gauge the feedback from initial testers how well the new Dislike button will fare among users.
Facebook's Reactions
A year ago, Facebook rolled out Reactions, a feature that expanded the single Like button into six emotional reactions: Like, Heart, LOL, Wow, Sad, and Angry. It instantly became a hit, with over 300 billion reactions sent. Most of these reactions is the Love / Heart button, making it even more likable than the Like button. Mexico, Chile, Suriname, Greece, and Paraguay are the countries that used this feature often. Completing the top 10 Reaction users are Costa Rica, Belize, the United States, Brazil, and Uruguay.
The success of Emoji Reactions in Slack could influence the Dislike feature as an addition to Work Chat, Facebook's messaging system for its own collaboration platform Workplace. It could also prove useful for interacting with chatbots, which Facebook also enhanced.
