Facebook is currently testing a new ‘downvote’ option for comments made within posted content.

Thumbs down

Mark Zuckerberg announced the platform is performing a trial run of a new way to flag or hide potentially inappropriate content through ‘downvoting.’

Facebook wants to make clear that this is not a reintroduction of the long forgotten ‘dislike’ button some users may remember from the platform’s past.

When the button is clicked, a report is then generated regarding the “offensive” or “misleading” material, the latter of which indicating this is part of a continued strategy to curtail fake news.

More critical, less emotional

Facebook’s dislike button formed the foundation of emoticons so prevalent today, and expanded on how users can react beyond a simple positive/negative indicator.

The new feature is focused on keeping News Feed clean and reliable, while the community actively engages in keeping articles concise and as factual as possible.

As always, it will be communal use that dictates its effectiveness in the months to come. Trolls could still erroneously tag valid information, but a bit of scrutiny is certainly a step in the right direction.

Have you noticed content you wish you could have ‘downvoted’? Give us your thoughts in the comment section below.