It was announced last week that the ever popular Facebook is working on the much talked about ‘dislike’ button.

Mark Zuckerburg, Facebook CEO, announced to the press that the button was being installed; even stating that it was nearly user ready. Zuckerburg claimed that the installation of the dislike button was not aimed to cast a down vote on other peoples Facebook posts but, rather poetically, to give people ‘the ability to express empathy’. Not every moment is a good moment.

Interesting.

But let’s be honest, will this actually be what it is used for? Since 2009, the ‘like’ button has been used by millions of Facebook users. Whether it’s to show true joy that your best friend got that job she wanted, or to subtly and sarcastically let your ex-boyfriend know that you ‘like’ his new relationship with that girl you most certainly do not like. Let’s be honest, we’ve all been there.

So what will the installation of the ‘dislike’ button bring to the equation? Sites such as YouTube have offered the option of ‘disliking’ something for quite a while, although this appears only as a numerical digit. This eradicates peoples’ sense of identity, thus, it seems making it easier for someone to express an honest opinion.

So here’s the real question: will people really be brave enough to use it truly and honestly? I understand where Zuckerburg is coming from, in the sense that it could be seen as distasteful to ‘like’ bad news. But will anyone actually have the courage to dislike personal posts?

In worlds such as politics and PR, the dislike button could work wonders in terms of finding out the general population’s opinion on a topic. But in regards to whether or not you’re rather unimpressed by your friend’s sister’s best friend’s boyfriend’s new profile picture, maybe not so much.

What are your thoughts? Like, or dislike?