Every now and then
someone starts throwing around the idea of a ‘Dislike’ button on Facebook. And
for whatever reason, people tend to get behind the idea. And to them I say, NO!
Why am I such an
opponent of the ‘Dislike’ button? My reasons aren’t exactly complicated. But in
case you don’t want to continue reading, the simple answer is that it
discourages civility, effort, and critical thinking.
Sorry, I just wanted to
post another Pusheen. SO CUTE.
As if the internet
wasn’t already a hostile enough place, we would be in a position where we don’t
even have to specify why we don’t like something, we can just click ‘Dislike.’
Think about any comment section you’ve seen for a news item--even on a
topic that’s not really that controversial. It’s littered with trolls and assorted asshats who have
a keyboard and a comment section, and they’re speaking their minds, regardless
of how ignorant, hateful, or incorrectly spelled it might be.
Do you really want to
just give those folks a button? At least right now they still have to take the
initiative to state why they don’t like something someone’s posted. (As opposed
to ignoring it, but who does that?!! Lolz!!!) Commenting requires effort and at
least a minuscule amount of thought--something that doesn’t come naturally to a
lot of people. The convenience of a button would bypass both effort and
thought, making Facebook and Facebook linked platforms an even more vicious
arena for semi-anonymous, completely detached feedback, trolling, fighting, and
general rudeness.
A ‘Dislike’ button will also
encourage attention whores to be even worse than they already are. You’ve seen
the posts. They’re like diary entries with an emo soundtrack. ‘Life is le sad
for whatever reason and these are all the things wrong with life and life is
terrible and I’m terrible and everything goes wrong in my life and this world and I’ll always be
unhappy’ etc., etc., etc. Usually people post words of encouragement, along
with the occasional clever person who posts, ‘dislike!!’ If there really was a
button, imagine all the people who would select ‘Dislike’ as a sign of
solidarity and support. The poster would be validated with the attention and
amount of ‘Dislikes’—look how many people recognize the depths of despair you
feel!!
Although to be honest,
most people would really just be thinking this:
But on a very basic
level it creates a setting for people to feel bad about themselves. Bullying
would take on a completely new dynamic. But setting aside the enormous problem
of bullying, think about how you’d feel if people ‘Disliked’ what you were
posting about? And I’m not talking about controversial topics. I’m
talking about posting things like, ‘Just bought a new dress—I feel so
pretty!’, ‘Person A and Person B are now engaged!’, ‘I really like [whatever it
is you like]!’, ‘I had a great time with friends A, B, and C!’, a duck-faced
party pic, a selfie, or an oversharing/TMI pic of yourself/your family/your
vacation. Yes, people post everything from the inane to the routine to the life
changing on Facebook. And sometimes others think what you’re posting is dumb or
uninteresting. Sometimes these people will take the time (why??) to post a
dry, sarcastic remark, a backhanded compliment, or a passive aggressive
response. But again, that requires effort and thought. There are people who are
rude, petty, and bored enough that they’d revel in such a button.
Now naturally there are
arguments for a ‘Dislike’ button. There’s the efficiency of simply clicking ‘Dislike’—it
would save time! Or perhaps one might lack the appropriate research or
vocabulary to tackle something they don't like, but they could still express their
feelings on the matter. To mirror one of my previous points, arguments on the
internet would be revolutionized! No longer would we feel the need to argue
with trolls; we could simply ‘Dislike’ what they’ve said! Take that, jerks!
But those arguments of
support don’t really outweigh the arguments against. A ‘Dislike’ button is just
a bad idea. It engenders hostility, negativity, and laziness--things we already
have enough of in this world. So let’s 'Like' more things! Let’s be more civil!
Let’s have thoughtful, well researched debates and conversations! Let’s support one another! Let’s be
awesome!
