“If you are sharing something that is sad – whether it’s something in current events like the refugee crisis that touches you, or if a family member passed away - then it may not feel comfortable to like that post but your friends and people want to be able to express that they understand and that they relate to you.”

“I think it’s important to give people more than just "like" as a way to emote and share their feeling on a post,” he says.

Zuckerberg has previously dismissed the idea of a “dislike” button altogether, amid fears it could foster negativity and encourage online bullying.

A "dislike" button could also be hugely unpopular among advertisers.

Based on these concerns, he has said that the function has been surprisingly difficult to develop and, chances are, the final feature will be something more like an empathy button.

Emily Vacher, safety manager at Facebook told Sky News that the button will not be a way of facilitating trolls, saying:

“We certainly don’t want trolling on Facebook. We want it to be a place where people feel welcome and feel the warmth and sharing the information in their community.”

“It may end up that it’s not technically a dislike, it may be empathy," she says.

Either way, it’s an exciting development for the way we interact with one another online.

Facebook announces "dislike" style button is coming soon