Hacker News Reader

Comment by chrismcb | Hacker News Reader

Clicking "like" on something in facebook is nothing like a form of voting. It is a form of subscription. It says you want to get updates about the thing you "liked." Maybe you hate the competitor, but you want to get notified if something newsworthy happens. So you "like" him. I'm not sure it falls under free speech, because you are really saying anything other than "I'm interested in knowing more about this subject"

View on HN

Clicking "Like" on a Fluffy Bunnies fan page isn't merely a subscription. It also broadcasts to everyone "chrismcb liked Fluffy Bunnies". I'm guessing that most people consider the subscription nature of liking an item secondary to the statement of support of that item.

Further to that, in Facebook you can click the down-arrow next to a post and select "Follow Post". This is the pure subscription act minus the protected speech.

Mechanically, yes. Linguistically, no.

Despite "Like" only subscribing you, Facebook has given that action a connotation of endorsement by naming the action "Like" which suggests agreeableness, enjoyment, or satisfaction.

> Clicking "like" on something in facebook is nothing like a form of voting. It is a form of subscription. It says you want to get updates about the thing you "liked."

This is not how I or (citation needed, I know) most people use likes most of the time.The subscription scheme with likes was foisted on users by facebook to enhance their ability to sell themselves as a marketing destination.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com