{"id":50873,"date":"2013-12-10T13:41:15","date_gmt":"2013-12-10T12:41:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/?p=50873"},"modified":"2013-12-10T13:41:15","modified_gmt":"2013-12-10T13:41:15","slug":"sympathise-on-facebook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/blog\/sympathise-on-facebook\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Sympathise’ on Facebook?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"facebook\"

Photo Courtesy: mkhmarketing via Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n

How often have you cringed at the \u2018Likes\u2019 generated on the bad news your friend posted on Facebook? \u00a0The social networking giant now plans to change that by introducing a \u2018sympathise\u2019 button, allowing users more options to react to posts of a more negative nature.<\/p>\n

How does this work? Users would be able to tag their status update with a negative emotion, which would then allow his or her friends to ‘sympathise’ with the post rather than press the ‘like’ button.<\/p>\n

Plans to introduce this plug-in emerged from its \u2018hackathon\u2019 event where Facebook engineers brainstorm ideas to improve Facebook features. The sessions have previously resulted in the creation of the iconic like, Facebook chat and \u2018friend suggester\u2019 facilities. \u00a0<\/p>\n

While it is unsure when the \u2018sympathise\u2019 button will be activated, media reports and user responses on Twitter indicate a mixed if not slightly adverse reaction to the news.<\/p>\n

The Telegraph published a piece by Emma Barnett, women\u2019s editor, titled \u2018Facebook’s ‘sympathise’ button makes me want to vomit,\u2019<\/a> in which she argued that that an \u2018empathise\u2019 or \u2018dislike\u2019 button would save an outpour of personal sob stories to win the sympathy of friends on a very public forum. She signed off saying: \u2018The sympathise button is going to take this cheap emotional expression to a whole new level and I\u2019m not sure my Facebook membership will withstand the schmaltz. And one thing’s for sure, I will have to cull many more ‘friends’ who live to moan.\u2019<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Ellen E Jones of the Independent titled \u2018Facebook’s new \u2018sympathise\u2019 button wouldn’t get a \u2018like\u2019 from me,\u2019 <\/a>points out how the plug-in would mean the death of genuine friendships, and whatever remains of our \u2018digital vocabulary.\u2019<\/p>\n

Tweets on the news included:<\/p>\n

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Got to be kidding.. RT @_RosieJay<\/a>: #Facebook<\/a> develops a “sympathise” button as an alternative to “like” http:\/\/t.co\/LmQih2oslL<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Dan Hopwood (@dan_hopwood) December 10, 2013<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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