Google said it is reviewing the way dislike button in YouTube videos is being treated by the users, particularly cases of ‘mob dislikes’ that tend to make a video seem more unrealistic or unwatchable than it really is by a group of users.
Such acts where a group of users targets a particular video or channel have grown to become a menace of sorts that can cast a shadow of uncertainty on the creators behind the channel. And the reason creators really are concerned of such dislikes – or the video statistics, for that matter – is because those are important in determining the viability of the creators in creating meaningful content.
Tom Leung, Director of Project Management at YouTube said they have approached the content creators themselves for ideas to deal with the issue. The executive said they have discussed several options but are yet to come to something concrete on it, let alone implement any of those.
For instance, among the options that were proposed include the more drastic one where the entire dislike button is removed to one where creators get to opt for a particular ‘don’t want ratings’ option. However, while the former seems a lot biased, the latter again is a lot less practical as it would mean it’s not only the dislike button that gets disabled but the like button too. And without the view statistics, the video has little to no use at all.
Another option and a more practical one at that that came up for discussion include the one where there is going to be a checkbox form that anyone disliking a video need to fill up for their dislike to come into effect. Or, the viewers might have to watch the video to some extent at least before the dislike button becomes enabled.
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These apart, the more challenging aspect here is to deal with the situation where the video genuinely deserves a dislike and so on. Leung hasn’t stated when they look forward to implementing any of the changes discussed so far, which means things are going to be the same so far though.
