The Social Norming Aspects of the “like” Function on Facebook

Want to learn a little more about social media?  I wrote a short ebook on it for the Kindle.  

I’m fascinated by Facebook’s like function. In a way, it’s the equivalent of an online clap. However, in a big enough audience (say several hundred, like the number of friends I have on Facebook), it’s pretty hard to tell who may or may not be clapping with accuracy – not so with the like function.

I’ve seen groups that are advocating for a “dislike” button, but I don’t think it’s necessary. Much like a speech, if someone says something ridiculous, people can simply ignore their messages. There is no reason to boo or hiss, quiet denial that someone is speaking is enough to voice disapproval. Back to the actual like function….

The like function enables you to see who actually liked what you have to say. Thus, the person who’s status or message or picture or post is “liked” is able to gauge the social capital that the individual has that liked and thus determine the “quality” of said post. I think it’s logical to assume that people then may gauge future responses in order to have the correct individuals like what they have to say.

One of my favorite things about facebook or any social media is the conversation aspect. People are honest online in a way that they are not in person (especially the younger crowd) and this kind of discussion can be very conducive to building community and mutual understanding. However, the like function does not necessarily give this conversational aspect. Instead, it has more in common with the emperor deciding who lives and dies in a gladiatorial match. You get the like click, you live to post another day. You don’t and you die in Facebook anonymity.

Suffice it to say, I don’t care for the like function and I certainly don’t want the dislike function.

Want to learn a little more about social media?  I wrote a short ebook on it for the Kindle.