The world is negative enough without a Facebook dislike button

Facebook has decided not to opt for the dislike button since it would “bring out too much negativity”, according to Mark Zuckerberg, its founder. Instead it will add six emojis — wow, yay, haha, sad, anger and love. This began reaching out to users in Spain and Ireland on October 8.

This alternative is the best solution. Online interaction is not comparable with a normal conversation. People are more honest because they don’t have to justify themselves. They can cut off the conversation with one mouse click, whenever and wherever they want.

Yes, there are certainly posts where I would click “dislike”, such as videos of killings, sexual abuse or violence. However, I believe some people would abuse a dislike button, perhaps through envy at seeing their ex-partners having a happy and new relationship, or just seeing others hanging out with lots of friends, going to parties or travelling the world.

By human nature we compare. When we scroll down the newsfeed, we automatically compare our lives with our Facebook friends who look like they are having the most amazing time ever. It is platform for insecurities. While people are consuming chips, hamburgers and other fattening fast food, they are admiring the physical shape of their friends hanging out at the beach in a bikini in Australia, asking themselves: “Why does she have such a nice body and I don’t?”…

German researchers from Humboldt University and from Darmstadt’s Technical University found that one in three people feel worse after visiting Facebook and are more dissatisfied with their lives. Just imagine how they would react if there was a dislike button on top of this.

Psychologists have shown that,  if someone dislikes another persons post, it makes the disliker feel better about themselves and their own lives. Is this human nature? or a characteristic now embedded in the generation of social media users?

The dislike button is a form of rejection…and nobody likes rejection. No matter if you are a student or the president of the United States, negative feedback hurts. Facebook has definitely made the right decision.

So, happy Facebooking, but make sure you take some time to unplug for a while and experience the real world. And hey, if somebody archives something amazing, just try and be happy for them. It will only change your life in a positive way. Let’s wow, love and yay!