Valid question, huh? I’d say too, but here are some thoughts to challenge this notion.
1. What do we do in real life, if someone utters ‘Unable to get over the loss of my grandad’? We console them with words. We give them a hug to show we care. We hold their hands, again, to show them we care. Consoling them with words would be commenting on that status update, I suppose. So, why can’t hitting the ‘like’ be the equivalent of holding their hands or giving them a hug?
2. How many options can/should Facebook include for response options for each status update? They have generalized it to a large extent, I understand, however.
3. That ‘like’ button, despite its literal meaning and a cheerful ‘thumbs up’ image to go with it, could be interpreted in many different ways given the context of the status update above it – but, for some reason we are desperately sticking to the literal meaning. Are we conveniently forgetting that context, online? Isn’t there a context to all our actions even in the offline world? Why see it any other way, online?