THUMB UP AND THUMB DOWN

 

THUMB UP and THUMB DOWN

Thumb is one of our five fingers. Out of the five fingers, thumb is the biggest and the smallest among others. Despite its being smallest, it has the best connotation meaning. Thumb up is necessarily associated with appreciation on good works, success, victory, and happiness, and likeness. In short, thumb is associated with positivity. Hearing our classmates’ success, we will feel free to share the image of a thumb up. Being happy because of the good quality of a video in YouTube, we will press the picture of thumb up. The more thumbs up a video gets, the more successful it is because it suggests that the video is highly appreciated. By contrast, thumb down is associated with dis-likeness and negativity. Being unhappy with a certain politician, netizens commonly press the thumb down image.  

However, thumb up is frequently for videos containing bad news such as criminal news, someone’s death, and others. The meaning of thumb up in such a case is questionable. Does it mean that the viewer is happy with the bad news, or does it mean that the viewer is grateful for the news? Which one is the most appropriate one, thumb up or thumb down? I insist on the connotation of each. Thumb up is associated with positivity, and thumb down is associated with negativity and dis-likeness.

Tulungagung, September 9, 2022