Today’s web discovery took me back a few years to my “traditional” media background experience. Back to a
college campus in the newspaper office, brainstorming content for each week’s issue.
Our staff produced a weekly installment called “Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down” in which we applauded or degraded events and new happenings around campus.
It was a consistent struggle to come up with items for the “Thumbs Up” column, but the “Thumbs Down” column was consistently overflowing and in need of cutting back.
That’s our nature isn’t it? Complaining is so much more fun, and we do plenty of it. Even enjoyable outlets, like my favorite
radio station, thrive on poking fun at, mocking, and complaining about society.
And now, complaining has become even easier with the addition of the
dislike button to Facebook.
The application allows you to drag the dislike feature onto the bookmarks bar of your browser, and tag web pages as you surf. Each dislike will appear on your newsfeed, allowing friends to see what you love to hate on.
The cynic in me wanted to jump for joy when I realized that now I can pass along my disapproval of certain brands, bands, personalities, and institutions to others. I do it anyway from time to time, just without the formality and ease of a button.
That giddiness faded when I realized that not only can I pass along my
bah-humbug's, but now, I have to see what everyone else dislikes (notice how easy it is to complain about complaining).
The key here, I believe, will end up being moderation. As much as I want to let the world know every single thing that drives me nuts, that approach will quickly cause my network to become blind to updates.
This is a usable application though, if used properly. Liking and Disliking pages can function as a mini-review. If someone likes a restaurant page, it could be worth checking out. If someone dislikes a mobile provider, it's an indication that their customer service or performance could be lacking.
In addition, I'm sure there will be analytical providers that will try to sell the dislike button as a way for companies to monitor their public satisfaction on social media.
That seems a bit far-fetched to me, but hey, I'm not knocking it. I'm trying to stay as positive about the dislike button as I can.
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