Facebook is bringing back the long-forgotten “poke” feature in an effort to engage younger users. Although this feature hasn’t been widely used for years, recent company research shows growing interest in it. As a result, the “poke” is being reintegrated as a more central part of the Facebook experience.
Users can now “poke” their friends via a dedicated button on their profile page. Each “poke” sent notifies the recipient. Additionally, users can visit facebook.com/pokes to see who has “poked” them and track their “poke” count with friends, which increases with each interaction. This feature incorporates gamification elements similar to those found on platforms like Snapchat and TikTok.
Highlighting “poke” counts and making the feature more prominent is designed to align with younger generations’ social media habits. As users increase their “poke” counts with friends, various icons—such as a fire emoji or “100”—appear next to their friends’ names. According to Meta, these small changes led to a 13-fold increase in “poke” activity within a month.
This move is part of Facebook’s broader effort to regain popularity among younger users, a demographic that has declined over time. The purpose of a “poke” is left up to users’ imagination—it can be used to catch a friend’s attention, flirt, or simply have fun.
