Why doesn't Facebook have a 'Dislike' button?

Ever wondered why there is no 'dislike' button on Facebook? That was the top voted question posed to Facebook chief executive officer (CEO) Mark Zuckerberg.

Speaking at a Facebook town hall Q&A session today, Zuckerberg said: "You know we're thinking about it - on the 'Dislike' button."

He suggested that there could be more ways in which users could express their feelings towards the content that they see on Facebook.

While he noted that the 'Like' button allows users to express a positive emotion quickly, the 'Like' button may be awkward when users share sad moments.

"A lot of times people share things on Facebook that are sad moments in their lives, or are tough, culturally or socially. Often, people tell us that they don't feel comfortable pressing 'Like', because 'Like' isn't the appropriate sentiment when someone lost a loved one, or is talking about a very difficult issue. 

"Giving people the power to do that in more ways with more emotions would be more powerful," Zuckerberg said.

"But we need to figure out the right way to do it, so that it ends up being a force for good and not a force for bad, demeaning the posts that people are putting out there."

Zuckerberg also answered questions ranging from Facebook's plans for improving search and its privacy policy at the town hall Q&A session, which was conducted at Facebook headquarters.

jasonsoh@sph.com.sg