Facebook’s ‘Poke’ Feature Is Making a Comeback
▼ Summary
– The poke feature on Facebook, which allows users to get a friend’s attention with a virtual nudge, has recently seen increased use among younger users.
– Facebook has made the poke more prominent by adding a dedicated button on profiles and a poke-tracking page where users can see poke counts and dismiss pokes.
– The poke count feature is designed to appeal to younger users by incorporating gamification elements similar to streaks on apps like Snapchat and TikTok.
– Meta aims to boost engagement on Facebook by reviving the poke, as evidenced by a 13x spike in poking after recent updates made the feature easier to access.
– Facebook has long struggled to attract younger users and has tried various initiatives to recapture this demographic, with the poke revival being the latest effort.
That quirky little Facebook Poke is back in a big way, and it’s not just for nostalgia’s sake. While the feature never actually disappeared, it’s recently seen a surprising surge in popularity, especially among younger users. Meta is now giving the Poke a major upgrade, turning what was once a vague digital nudge into a more structured, gamified interaction.
Users can now send a poke directly from a friend’s profile using a dedicated button. Recipients get a notification, and there’s even a special page at facebook.com/pokes where you can see who’s poked you and keep track of your “poke count” with each friend. This counter increases every time you exchange pokes, and you can even dismiss pokes if you’re not interested in keeping the back-and-forth going.
This move is clearly aimed at younger audiences who are accustomed to gamified features like Snapchat Streaks or TikTok challenges. By introducing poke counts and reward icons, such as fire emojis or a “100” badge, Meta hopes to foster the same kind of habitual engagement that keeps users coming back. It’s a strategy that’s proven effective for other platforms, though not without controversy. Features like streaks have faced criticism and even legal challenges due to their potentially addictive nature, especially among younger teens.
Meta has been quietly testing the waters for a while. Earlier this year, the company made it easier to find the poking feature through search, which led to a 13-fold increase in poking activity within just one month. The ambiguity around the poke’s purpose remains part of its charm, it can be a flirtatious signal, a simple hello, or just a bit of fun, depending on the relationship between users.
While poke counts may never reach the cultural status of streaks, this revival is a clear sign that Meta is serious about re-engaging younger users on Facebook. The platform remains a financial powerhouse for the company, but it has struggled to attract Gen Z audiences, particularly in the U.S. Previous efforts, like the college-exclusive Facebook Campus, were short-lived. This latest attempt leans into lightweight, playful interaction, a tactic that could help Facebook feel fresh again for a new generation.
The return of the poke also arrives amid growing scrutiny around social media’s impact on youth. Internal documents from other platforms have shown that companies were long aware of how habit-forming features like streaks can be. As Meta reintroduces similar mechanics, it will be interesting to see how users, and regulators, respond.
(Source: TechCrunch)
