• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer, September 16, 2015

Misanthropes like me were naturally overjoyed to hear that Facebook is finally developing a “dislike” button to go along with its “like” button -- until we heard that it’s actually intended to help people show empathy, or something.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg revealed the plans during a press conference at Facebook’s headquarters, according to Bloomberg, which quoted him as saying: “People have asked about the dislike button for many years. We’ve finally heard you and we’re working on this and we will deliver something that meets the needs of the larger community.”

While a “dislike” button might seem like the perfect way to show your disdain for people’s cutesy cat photos, daft political opinions and stupid faces generally, it’s really about providing a more nuanced way to show support and commiseration in the face of bad news.

That is something that has long challenged bemused users who don’t really want to give a big ol’ “thumbs up” when someone’s grandma dies.

Another good example was the photo of the drowned Kurdish toddler that swept social media two weeks ago, raising awareness of the refugee crisis in Europe and the Middle East.

After their friends shared the photo with a comment like “so horrible,” it probably struck many people as odd to respond by “liking” the awful picture, when really that is the exact opposite of what they were trying to express.

That said, I’m wondering whether the new product will actually be a “dislike” button, with a literal “thumbs down,” or something a little subtler, on a different emotional axis, as it were.

Returning to the example of someone’s grandma passing away, a “thumbs down” or “dislike” also isn’t quite appropriate somehow, because it kind of seems like you’re rejecting the news or saying you don’t care. A “sad face” might be a better expression of the sentiment.

This would also help avoid the “like versus dislike” dynamic that Zuckerberg has previously said he wants to avoid, because it could lead to an “up-down” voting system a la Reddit.