The like button: from ancient gestures to digital symbol

The thumbs-up gesture has come a long way — from the bloody arenas of Ancient Rome to the bright screens of the digital world.

Today, it’s known globally as the like button, one of the most powerful symbols of online life. A new book, Like: The Button That Changed the World, explores how this tiny icon became a central part of the internet’s culture.

Before Facebook made it famous, the idea first surfaced at Yelp in 2005. On May 18 of that year, employee Bob Goodson sketched a rough version of thumbs-up and thumbs-down icons as a way for users to quickly react to restaurant reviews. Yelp passed on his idea, opting for buttons labeled “useful,” “funny,” and “cool” instead. But that early sketch didn’t disappear.

Years later, Goodson teamed up with Martin Reeves to dig into the origins of the idea — a search that took them far beyond the tech world. They discovered that the roots of the thumbs-up trace back to Ancient Rome. But the popular belief that a thumbs-up meant “spare him” during gladiator fights is wrong. Historians now believe a visible, extended thumb actually signaled death, while a hidden thumb meant mercy. The modern meaning of “approval” was shaped later, especially after 19th-century artworks like Pollice Verso misrepresented the Roman signal.

The thumbs-up got another boost in the 20th century. During World War II, American pilots used it to signal they were ready for takeoff. It quickly became a sign of confidence and camaraderie, spreading across military and civilian life — setting the stage for its digital rebirth.

In the early 2000s, as platforms like Twitter, YouTube, PayPal and Gmail were experimenting with new ways to keep people engaged, Facebook introduced the like button. The symbol was simple but effective — it made users feel seen and encouraged them to keep posting. What started as a quick nod of approval became a driver of attention, engagement, and even anxiety.

Facebook cemented the icon’s importance by installing a massive like sign outside its headquarters in Menlo Park. It remained there until the company rebranded as Meta in 2021, but by then, the button had already left its mark on global internet culture.

Today, the like button is still everywhere — used billions of times a day across social media. It acts as both a reward system and a subtle source of pressure. But it’s also a reminder that one small gesture, with roots in ancient history, can still shape how we express ourselves in the modern world.

Not everyone sees the thumbs-up the same way, though. In parts of the Middle East and West Africa, the gesture can be offensive. In Australia, if used with a pumping motion, it’s considered rude. Still, for most of the online world, the like remains a simple sign of approval — even if its journey has been anything but simple.

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