Facebook is trying to make ‘pokes’ happen again

image via TechCrunch

September 4, 2025, 9:32 PM

• •Facebook is making the 'poke' feature more prominent with a dedicated button and poke count tracking.
• •The goal is to boost engagement, particularly among younger users.
• •The initiative is similar to gamification features on other social media platforms.
• •Meta aims to recapture the youth market by reviving the feature.

Facebook is reintroducing the 'poke' feature with a dedicated button and poke count tracking, aiming to increase user engagement, especially among younger users. The poke feature, which allows users to virtually nudge friends, will now display 'poke counts' with friends, with different icons appearing as the count increases. This move is similar to the gamification elements seen in apps like Snapchat and TikTok, though it raises concerns about potentially addictive features. Meta hopes to recapture the youth market by reviving the 'poke', which had previously led to a 13x spike in poking after some recent changes.

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