Facebook Tests ‘Downvote’ Button, But Denies That Means ‘Dislike’
You may soon be able to downvote something you dislike on Facebook. But there’s no actual “dislike” button in the works, according to the social media giant.
A small number of users are test subjects for Facebook’s longest-running request, a way to signal that you do not approve of something. The test is running on public pages and provides an option to users to hide any post and report it as offensive, misleading or off-topic.
Reports indicate the test has surfaced in the last day, and a company statement indicated that Facebook is exploring the feature to “give us feedback about comments on public page posts.” The company has reportedly denied that it is also about to institute the “dislike” button, and points out that its selection of emojis can convey disapproval.
The test arrives in the wake of CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s pledge to show more posts from friends and family on the service and less commercial or sponsored items.
The downvote experiment is not being tested in groups, with public figures, or in comments from friends, according to Facebook. A downvoted comment will also not affect its ranking, the post, or the page. The test is reportedly running for five percent of English-speaking US Android users.
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