Thumbs down to alternative Facebook like buttons
After more than four years, the Facebook dislike button is still not in the cards.
![](https://images.caxton.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/51/2014/12/Facebook_like_thumb.png)
THE infamous Facebook ‘like’ button has been an almost instantaneous hit since the social media giant activated the feature in 2009.
Social addicts and the occasional users both revelled in the lazy option of responding to a post without having to type out a comment.
However, it wasn’t long before users began to yearn for an alternative to the monotonous thumbs up button.
Facebook users argued that the like button was not always appropriate for all posts and photos, for example, posts regarding job loss or the death of a pet.
Other interesting suggestions include:
– dislike
– love
– hate
– applaud
– throw tomato
– accuse of racism
– too soon
– are you drunk?
The long demand, however, has gone unanswered. Facebook engineer, Bob Baldwin, said the decision to deny the overwhelming requests was based on the notion that the social media site focuses primarily on positive social interactions.
In 2013 Facebook announced the possibility of introducing a ‘sympathy’ button, but the proposal has yet to be realised.