"I sympathize" instead of "like"? Facebook is thinking about it - Reuters

The Social Network would have designed a button to adapt it to alternative posts sad or mournful

It happened a little ‘to all those who frequent Facebook: A friend writes that the dog is dead and someone, to show solidarity, select the button “I like”. It is clear that there is something wrong, and there are many circumstances in which it should be an alternative expression, for example “I sympathize,” “you are close” or more.

Apparently, there has also thought of Facebook, which has already imagined a button “sympathize”. If traducessimo in Italian as “I sympathize,” probably the verb lose its original semantic weight. Literally, sympathy expresses the capacity to suffer with and for one person.

In any case, a Facebook engineer said, during a corporate event, the button was created as part of an internal project, but also stated that, at present, it would be no plan to put him to available to the public.

In fact, Facebook has organized three days ago a session called “day search of compassion” in which public and researchers were invited, together, to “better understand the value and the power of compassion.”

a session of questions and answers, according to reports from the BBC website, a member of the audience asked if Facebook had thought about changing the button “like”, just because it could be inadequate to the sentiments expressed in a post: bereavement, separation, melancholy.

Dan Muriello, a software engineer at Facebook, stated that one of his colleagues during a brainstorming of business they call “hackathon”, had proposed to change “like” to “sympathize”. It would not be a replacement: the new button appear only if the person who updates their status were to select a specific state of mind from a list drawn up.

The idea, apparently, was favorably received, but in the end he had decided to do nothing, at least at that time.

not been ruled out, however, that the new button “empathetic” will make its appearance in the future. After all, as pointed out by the British site, from the Facebook hackathons are already born the chat feature built-in social network and the tool suggests the presence of potential friends enrolled in the network.

A website that bases its success, essentially, the ability to communicate moods and comment, it should address the problem. Many people decide now to give the sad news via the social network, because it would help to inform friends quickly, collective, without forcing you to physical contact and verbal, in some circumstances, it may be difficult to sustain. The fact remains that, without much effort, you can choose to let go of the button “like” and write below the post with a friend a simple “I’m sorry.” Is it really so important to sympathize with one click and run the counter?