Facebook dislike button now on trial

Facebook rolls out Reddit-style downvote button to its users in New Zealand and Australia. This new tool lets the users to give their feedback about comments and tells Facebook whether the comments are disrespectful or has bad intentions.

The downvotes are far from the upside-down thumb which Facebook used to have to indicate dislike. An information box pops out to explain why there are new arrows below the comments.

Apparently, the users must press the comment up if they think that the comment was helpful or insightful. They must press the down button if they deem that the comment is “Offensive,” “Misleading,” or “Off Topic.”

The new test aims to create spaces with more constructive dialogue. Facebook will filter out the comments that violate its guidelines and will take actions against them. This is part of the continued campaign to clean up the site since there have been increased complaints about fake news, abuse, and clickbait.

According to Facebook spokeswoman, the trial is still in its early stages and it will not yet roll out to all of its 2.2 billion users around the globe. Whether the new update will stay or not will be based on the users’ feedback.

Facebook will still continue to give users a set of emojis to express their emotions and reactions to posts and comments. It will be remembered that emojis have replaced the dislike button in 2015. Mark Zuckerberg noted that “not every moment is a good moment”. This means that the downvote has its sole purpose to flag “bad comments” and give feedback on the content of the comment rather than expressing dislike.

As of now, users in New Zealand and Australia can see the new buttons in comments on public Page posts and only on Facebook’s mobile app.

Additionally, users have different reactions to the test. Some find it confusing while others think that it can make room for maintaining debate. Facebook reminds its user that “It’s still ok to disagree in a respectful way.”