Gesturing with our thumbs to show approval or disapproval is a human habit stretching back centuries. The understanding that thumbs-up means good, and thumbs-down bad, is also reflected across the internet, where we're encouraged to upvote things we like and downvote things we don't. Facebook, however, has always shied away from giving its two billion users the opportunity to express displeasure with a single click. "Likes" are Facebook's currency, and "dislikes" just don't exist. But in the last six months, Facebook has begun trialling downvoting in parts of the US, Australia and New Zealand, allowing people to demonstrate instant disapproval of other people's contributions. "Support comments that are thoughtful," suggests the window that pops up during the trial, "and demote ones that are uncivil or irrelevant."
Will it bury hateful content?
Facebook users have long demanded a feature that lets them give the thumbs-down to belligerent, rude or bullying comments. In 2015, Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg noted that "people have asked about the dislike button for many years". He added that "today is the day I can say we're working on it and shipping it". However, said button never materialised. Internal sources confirmed that it was rejected for fear of sowing "too much negativity".
But negativity continues to run rampant across the platform. Back in April, representatives of civil groups in Myanmar wrote an open letter to Zuckerberg, expressing deep concern about the way Facebook was being used in the country to incite violence. In a statement, the company admitted its failings, and promised to “improve our technology and tools to detect and prevent abusive, hateful or false content”. It’s part of a broader plan: in recent months, the company has sought to reverse declining user numbers in certain demographics by trying to make Facebook a more pleasant experience – reducing the number of news stories, cutting back on advertisements and encouraging people to spend time interacting with each other.
But nothing derails those interactions quite like rudeness. Facebook currently employs just one staff member per 100,000 users to deal with safety and security, so self-policing has to play a big part in keeping things civil. The system now being trialled relies on users to moderate discussions; up and down arrows sit next to each comment, along with a running votecount showing how valuable the community has deemed that particular contribution. Algorithms then use the voting data to re-order the debate. Facebook believes that they will “push thoughtful and engaging comments to the top of the discussion, and move down the ones that are simply attacks or filled with profanity”.
The downside of downvoting
Not everyone, however, believes that two negatives necessarily make a positive. "I think that upvoting and downvoting is a really bad way to do this," says Joseph Reagle, author of a book entitled Reading the Comments: Likers, Haters, and Manipulators at the Bottom of the Web. "It prompts a kind of gamification. I don't imagine that users are going to be sensitive to all of the semantics of these things and know how to use them appropriately."
Reagle is alluding to the thorny question of whether upvotes and downvotes have the effect that’s intended. The psychological theory of “operant conditioning” – that our behaviour is linked to the punishments or rewards we have received in the past – dates from the 1930s, and underlies the design of many social-media platforms. But in 2014, data scientist Justin Cheng – who now works at Facebook – completed a piece of research based on analysing 42 million online comments, and concluded that downvoting caused a spiral of negative behaviour. Downvoted authors, he concluded, go on to produce posts “of lower quality… We find that negative feedback leads to significant behavioural changes that are detrimental to the community.”
________________
Read more from Rhodri:
Is storing data in DNA the way forward?
Why it’s not always OK to hit the OK button
Could this be the solution to the pricey problem of smashed phone screens?
From Amazon to Google: Why we need to pay attention to these tech giants
________________
The binary nature of thumbs up, thumbs down
It's not surprising, perhaps, that reducing human emotions to a binary choice has unintended consequences. Reddit, the online community that's perhaps most associated with up/down voting systems, has frequently become a battlefield of voting contests that have little to do with the quality of people's contributions and much more to do with differences of opinion. Indeed, the practice of mass downvoting even has a name on the site: "brigading". "You see a similar thing on Amazon," Reagle says, "where people don't like the e-book version of a classic piece of literature, so they give it one star." Online commenting system Disqus, which also features up and down votes, recently polled users to find out why they downvoted comments. The most common reason, by some distance, was because they disagreed with the opinion being expressed – nothing to do with civility or abuse whatsoever.
"This surprised us," Disqus's Tony Hue admitted in a blog post – but it shows that downvoting systems designed to tackle bullying could end up facilitating it instead. A journalist for Slate, Rachel Withers, found herself included in one of the Facebook trials, and concluded that it's "the perfect feature for trolls and bots, lefties and conservatives… to silence opinions through effective organising and well-policed echo chambers". However, as Reagle points out, new systems may have downsides, but they still work better than the old ways. "I can only presume it's serving Facebook somehow," he says. "The most paranoid theory would be that this is a honeypot! They create this mechanism, knowing that people are going to abuse it, and then they're better able to spot the fraudulent accounts as a result."
It’s a problem unique to the age we’re living in. Never before have we had to consider how to behave and interact with thousands of strangers with whom we have fundamentally differing views. Nor do we understand the toll that systems of this kind may be having on our mental health, with inflammatory exchanges and exaggerated reactions affecting our sense of self-worth and diminishing our sense of empathy. It may have come to the point where Facebook has no choice but to use downvoting as a way to help us to get along, but it’s also possible that the company’s mission – to connect all the citizens of the world – may be a fundamentally flawed idea.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Suggested picnic spots
Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
ACL Elite (West) - fixtures
Monday, Sept 30
Al Sadd v Esteghlal (8pm)
Persepolis v Pakhtakor (8pm)
Al Wasl v Al Ahli (8pm)
Al Nassr v Al Rayyan (10pm)
Tuesday, Oct 1
Al Hilal v Al Shorta (10pm)
Al Gharafa v Al Ain (10pm)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Mykonos, with a flight change to its partner airline Olympic Air in Athens. Return flights cost from Dh4,105 per person, including taxes.
Where to stay
The modern-art-filled Ambassador hotel (myconianambassador.gr) is 15 minutes outside Mykonos Town on a hillside 500 metres from the Platis Gialos Beach, with a bus into town every 30 minutes (a taxi costs €15 [Dh66]). The Nammos and Scorpios beach clubs are a 10- to 20-minute walk (or water-taxi ride) away. All 70 rooms have a large balcony, many with a Jacuzzi, and of the 15 suites, five have a plunge pool. There’s also a private eight-bedroom villa. Double rooms cost from €240 (Dh1,063) including breakfast, out of season, and from €595 (Dh2,636) in July/August.
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
The specs: 2017 Dodge Viper SRT
Price, base / as tested Dh460,000
Engine 8.4L V10
Transmission Six-speed manual
Power 645hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 813Nm @ 5,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 16.8L / 100km
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Zidane's managerial achievements
La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
Uefa Super Cup: 2016, 2017
Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017
The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
England squads for Test and T20 series against New Zealand
Test squad: Joe Root (capt), Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Dominic Sibley, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes
T20 squad: Eoin Morgan (capt), Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Pat Brown, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Lewis Gregory, Chris Jordan, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Matt Parkinson, Adil Rashid, James Vince
More coverage from the Future Forum
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
PREMIER LEAGUE STATS
Romelu Lukaku's goalscoring statistics in the Premier League
Season/club/appearances (substitute)/goals
2011/12 Chelsea: 8(7) - 0
2012/13 West Brom (loan): 35(15) - 17
2013/14 Chelsea: 2(2) - 0
2013/14 Everton (loan): 31(2) - 15
2014/15 Everton: 36(4) - 10
2015/16 Everton: 37(1) - 18
2016/17 Everton: 37(1) - 25
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Results:
5pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic (PA) Prestige Dh 110,000 1.400m | Winner: AF Mouthirah, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic (PA) Prestige Dh 110,000 1,400m | Winner: AF Saab, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 1,600m | Winner: Majd Al Gharbia, Saif Al Balushi, Ridha ben Attia
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship (PA) Listed Dh 180,000 1,600m | Winner: RB Money To Burn, Pat Cosgrave, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap Dh 70,000 2,200m | Winner: AF Kafu, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 100,000 2,400m | Winner: Brass Ring, Fabrice Veron, Ismail Mohammed