Facebook might finally be adding a dislike button, but it's not what you think

Facebook is trialling a new comments interaction called "downvote" which will allow users to provide negative feedback on the social media platform.

But for those getting their hopes high for a "dislike button", this is not it. Facebook wants users to downvote comments when they are either "offensive, misleading or off topic". Some Facebook users already have access to the button.

"We are not testing a dislike button," a Facebook spokesperson said, according to Cnet. "We are exploring a feature for people to give us feedback about comments on public page posts. This is running for a small set of people in the US only."

Facebook introduced reactions to the like button at the start of 2016. Instead of just liking a post or comment, users can "love", "haha", "wow", "sad" or "angry" content. The update was released to quell persistent demand for a dislike button.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has long been against a solitary dislike button. He said in December 2014 that he did not want to make Facebook a "voting mechanism". "I don't think that's socially very valuable or good for the community to help people share the important moments in their lives."

The new downvote feature could be used to more quickly filter offensive and inappropriate content. It might also save users form having to see the same ads over and over again.