Facebook: Goodbye to Likes? “Sympathize” or “Empathize” Arrives

A hallmark of Facebook since its inception has been the “Like” button: the thumbs-up has become incredibly popular, evolving into a true trademark, and even a common expression in everyday life.
According to very recent leaks reported by the Huffington Post and the Telegraph, something might be poised to replace “Like“: an anonymous developer from within the Facebook staff has revealed that the “Sympathize” or “Empathize” button could soon appear.
Indeed, the “Like” button doesn’t always accurately convey the user’s true intention on the social network. Sometimes, to express closeness or support to someone, a “Like” can be ineffective or misinterpreted.
In such situations, the hypothetical “Empathize” button would be more pertinent and fitting for the circumstance.
It’s unclear if this new feature will actually be introduced soon, but it’s certainly noticeable that the introduction of a “Dislike” button appears increasingly remote once again.

It remains unknown whether this will be an integration or if the “Like” button will be solely replaced in specific cases. Given Facebook’s recent developments towards semantic understanding in recent months, some rumors suggest the system could evolve to “understand” the tone of a status update, thereby offering the option to express condolences and solidarity or to give a favorable opinion with the classic “Like“.
It’s still unclear if the alleged novelty will soon enter the testing phase or if the mechanism is already sufficiently refined for a prompt introduction.