When was the last time you were poked on Facebook?
The feature has endured since the early days of the social media platform. Originally intended as a way to reach out to other users without sending a message or any meaningful content, it’s been the focus of soft relaunches in 2017 and 2024.
Now, Meta is pushing it again as a way to maintain connections with friends. As interest seems to be rising among younger users, poking is clinging to life and could become a thing again, according to TechCrunch. Facebook has a centralized poke page at facebook.com/pokes where you can view who’s poked you, who you’ve poked and who Meta’s algorithm thinks should be the target of your next poking. Updates to poke might not yet appear for everyone; Meta is planning a global rollout for the new features.
Plans for the poke include indicators for poke counts, the option to dismiss pokes and emoji badges similar to those on platforms like Snapchat and TikTok.
Why poke now?
A Meta executive told CNET that the poke feature is one way for the company’s platforms to reach a younger audience.
“People, especially young adults, are craving easier ways to connect,” said Ime Archibong, VP of Product Management at Meta. “The beauty of poke is it’s an effortless way to show your friends you’re thinking about them — and the meaning is up to you.”
In addition to the poke landing page, Archibong said that it’ll be easier to get to poke from Facebook profile pages and the Friends tab.
“We have seen positive early results in adoption among U.S./Canada young adults (aged 18-29) in our pre-launch tests,” Archibong said. “We’re excited to launch these updates globally.”
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