A dislike button is apparently coming to TikTok soon, however it will only be visible on comments and the gesture remains a more private matter. tick tock announced that the company is currently testing a dislike button that will appear in the form of a thumbs-down icon in the comments section.
A few users who are part of a test circle have started See the dislike button in their comments section. However, it appears that the company has been preparing the feature for the past few months. Social media evangelist Matt Navarra first tweeted about disliking on TikTok in January this year.
However, the feature is currently in the testing phase and will not roll out until the company receives community feedback on its pros and cons. TikTok tells TechCrunch that the dislike button is currently being tested in regions outside of the US, but has not shared details on its broader rollout plans.
A safer and more considerate dislike
A striking feature of TikTok’s dislike button is the fact that it’s private. Once a TikTok user clicks the “Dislike” button on a problematic comment, the company’s moderation system registers the response. Neither the original commenter nor the creator whose content was commented on will see the dislike.
Of course, there will also be no visible dislike counter. TikTok notes that it keeps the dislike response private to avoid negative feelings between the creators and their viewers. Moreover, it will also prevent content creators from feeling discouraged when comments under their videos become a dislike magnet.
Tiktok has a dislike button???????
– BTS PAVED THE WAY (@thanosmfstan) April 13, 2022
According to Tiktok, the dislike button is being tested to allow users to “identify comments they find irrelevant or inappropriate.” It’s unclear how TikTok’s content moderation system will process each dislike gesture to take the necessary action. Additionally, TikTok hasn’t disclosed whether there’s a threshold on how many dislikes a comment should have before it’s checked for a policy violation.
TikTok isn’t the only social media platform playing around with a dislike button. Reddit has had a downvote button for posts for a while. YouTube also has a thumbs-down button, but the company is hiding the number of dislikes after a recent policy change to protect creators. Twitter has also been testing a downvote button for a while and earlier this year the company expanded the test for the platform’s Android and web clients.
A covert dislike gesture is a safer moderation tactic as it prevents toxic fans and haters from launching a coordinated social media attack. YouTube is the prime example of dislike bombing, a phenomenon that ultimately forced the company to remove dislike counts from a video.
TikTok is no stranger to the cult of rabid fandom as conspiracy theories as well as propaganda content are also being circulated on the platform at the speed of light. Bad actors often take refuge in the comments section of content shared by influential creators to peddle their scams and schemes. Just take a look at the comments section on YouTube and other social media platforms to see the rampant phishing and crypto-related scam invites. TikTok is taking a cautious approach here, hoping that the dislike button will actually prove to be a helpful addition to creating a less toxic online space.
Editor’s Recommendations
-
Yes, soon you’ll actually be able to edit your tweets
-
YouTube TV finally adds picture-in-picture for iPhone and iPad
-
TikTok adds library tool to up your GIF game
-
The war in Ukraine is also being fought on TikTok
-
The Tinder app now lets you run a background check on your date
This article was previously published on Source link
