Review of "Dislike-Minded: Media, Audiences, and the Dynamics of Taste by Jonathan Gray," Gray, J. (2021). Dislike-Minded: Media, Audiences, and the Dynamics of Taste New York.

Abstract

In Dislike-Minded , Jonathan Gray makes a fascinating case for why the idea of dislike, away from disgust, anger, or hatred is worthy of its own lane of study. Pointing out that ratings, algorithms, collection data, and even academia prioritizes positive attributes like likes , Gray suggests that we in fact do a disservice to our understanding of choice (what it is, who it's for, and why) by excluding ideas that represent dislike. As an extension of taste, he points out that our connection of dislike to negative opinions like hate or aversion are misdirected as a group opinion instead of an individual idea. Further, the book suggests that this view reduces dislike's complex emotional engagement---comprised of a number of factors that include things like disappointment or expectation, the inescapable nature of the work, or the critical reception of a text or its handling of specific ideas---down to a simplistic dismissal or nonchalance. Instead, Gray posits that dislike works as a focused narrow consideration that often requires a deep connection to either the subject, or the subject field. However, it is often thought of based off a grouping of generalized characteristics akin to assumptions or stereotypes, as opposed to its actual singular positionality, where dislike straddles the complicated line between scrutiny and dissatisfaction.