Facebook 'Poke' Sees Surging Interest Among Gen Z: "Who's Poking Who?"

Facebook has revived the "Poke" tool with slight modifications to improve user engagement, reminiscing about its early days.

The social media behemoth said on Tuesday that it has made poking recommendations simpler to locate and use. According to TechCrunch, Facebook lets users poke friends from the search tool, simplifying the process.

Since these simple changes, Facebook has seen a 13-fold spike in users over the last month. Interestingly, younger users like the revival of the Poke feature.

Facebook's Poke Revival a Hit Among Gen Zs

Facebook's parent company, Meta, said that 18-29-year-olds initiate almost 50% of recent pokes, per Business Insider. Due to their age, Generation Z and young millennials may have missed the Poke feature's peak popularity in the 2000s.

Poking has been one of Facebook's oldest features since 2004, although it has waned over time. Initially, users used poking for flirtation and play, leaving it open to interpretation.

The Facebook Poke feature predates the news feed. Over time, its use declined, possibly due to impressions of poking being weird, flirty, or eclipsed by more modern communication methods and the emergence of other social media platforms.

With the social media platform approaching its 20th anniversary, it has chosen to revive the Facebook Poke feature as a practical way for users to get in touch with long-lost Facebook friends and even acquaintances. Its simplicity brings nostalgia and surprise, making interactions fun.

Here's How To Poke on Facebook

Facebook Poke is easy to do. After logging into their Facebook accounts, users can navigate to the search bar and type "Pokes." Users may now reach the "Pokes" page via the Facebook app's search tab on tablets and smartphones, per The Daily Star.

The Pokes page suggests users poke. Those looking for a particular individual to poke may use the top search box. Poking's purpose may be unclear despite its reappearance. The act has different connotations for different people. Poking may be a humorous way to reconnect with friends or a sentimental flashback to previous days on the site.

Social media users are remembering the poke function and considering its relevance in modern social interactions. Some enjoy frivolous poking bouts like Snapchat streaks, while others use them to communicate nuanced feelings of recollection or love.

A poke reminds us of companionship and connection in an age of advanced communication channels. Poking is a unique way to communicate online, whether for fun or serious reasons. You might poke a friend to evoke memories, irritate, or amuse them. Pokes are a pleasant break from sophisticated communication techniques, enabling people of all generations, including Gen Zs, to express themselves simply yet meaningfully.

However, Facebook also advised its users: "If you don't want someone to poke you, you can block them."

While the Poke makes a comeback, Meta announced the termination of Oculus. The social media company has advised all Oculus account users to move before its March 29 termination. You cannot restore lost applications, in-app purchases, store credits, and other items.

TechTimes reported that users will lose their friend list, achievements, and Oculus account content if they do not migrate to a Meta account before the deadline. Meta had terminated Oculus accounts since 2020 when it started requiring new users to register using Facebook accounts.