Thursday, October 29, 2009

Why I Really Dislike Value Judgments

Facebook, Inc.Image via Wikipedia
"People with opinions just go around bothering one another." The Buddha

There has been a discussion(mostly for fun) going on over the last few months about whether or not Facebook should add a Dislike button aside its popular Like option on status/news/etc. updates. I do see where this could often be harmless fun if people are arguing about baseball or TV or something trivial. But...I regularly see wires crossed in the world of the social web. As people(this person included), it's pretty normal operation to put your foot in your mouth or accidentally offend a friend. Do we need Facebook's help in straining our relationships? As an example...

How is a person to decode a simple "Dislike" status on something they said?

Or, how to decode if a large number of your friends Dislike something you say?

Many people walk away from social media because they tire of the negative forces in action. Facebook has done a good job of encouraging members to stay positive. Granted, users can do whatever they want with a status update or a comment box, but a Dislike button seems very impersonal and too easy to misunderstand.

One of the most common bits of advice about the social web is to stay positive. I see this play out in my own interactions, as I tend to steer clear of the bile. True misery plays okay("My car is in the shop, again!"), but political, religious, or just plain grumpy posts should stay in your head("The current/past/future President is a big, dumb jerk!"). So, I contend that life can be miserable enough without a negativity engine running on Facebook.

Who's with me? I'm accepting all Likes/Dislikes via comments below.
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