Facebook revives classic 'Poke' feature with gamified twist
To appeal to Gen Z, Facebook is turning poke counts into a competitive, streak-like experience. As counts increase, special icons such as fire emojis or "100" badges appear next to friends' names, mimicking features popularized by Snapchat and TikTok.
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Facebook's iconic "poke" is officially back in the spotlight. Once a quirky way to get someone's attention in the platform's early days, the feature is now being reintroduced with a gamified spin aimed at younger users, TechCrunch reported.
Users can now poke friends directly from a new dedicated button on Facebook profiles, sending a notification to the recipient.
Facebook has also revived its pokes page at facebook.com/pokes, where users can view who poked them, track their "poke count" with friends, and dismiss pokes if they don't want to engage.
To appeal to Gen Z, Facebook is turning poke counts into a competitive, streak-like experience. As counts increase, special icons such as fire emojis or "100" badges appear next to friends' names, mimicking features popularized by Snapchat and TikTok. Meta hopes this small gamification push will reignite youth interest in the platform.
The move follows a 13x spike in poke activity since March 2024 after Facebook made the feature easier to find via search. The latest update makes the poke far more prominent, embedding it into user profiles for quicker access.
For Meta, the revival of the poke is more than just nostalgia - it's another attempt to claw back younger audiences.
Over the years, Facebook has experimented with features like Facebook Campus, which targeted college students but was shut down in 2022, and a Gen Z-focused redesign. While the poke may never reach the viral heights of streaks, its gamified return signals Meta's continued push to remain relevant with youth.
