Facebook Revives Classic ‘Poke’ Feature to Woo Younger Users
Source:TOI
New Delhi, September 3 (TheTrendingPeople.com) —Facebook is giving new life to one of its oldest and quirkiest features — the “Poke” button — in a bid to capture the attention of younger users. First launched more than 20 years ago, the feature is now being reintroduced with fresh updates and greater visibility on the platform.
In its latest announcement, the company said: “Pokes never really left, but they’re making a comeback in a major way. Now you can see who poked you and find other friends to poke.”
What’s new with Facebook ‘Pokes’?
The social media giant is adding a dedicated Pokes page, where users can track their “Pokes-count” with friends and receive notifications when someone pokes them. This change aims to make the playful feature a more central part of Facebook’s user experience.
The decision follows a surprising spike in engagement. Last year, Facebook reported a 13x increase in poke usage, suggesting that nostalgia-driven features could still resonate strongly with its audience.
Zuckerberg’s ‘OG Facebook’ vision
The revival of Pokes is part of a broader push by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to bring back “OG” Facebook features that once defined the platform’s early years.
In March, during the Colin and Samir podcast, Zuckerberg revealed his plan to reintroduce popular legacy tools such as the Friends tab, emphasizing the importance of user-to-user connections over purely algorithm-driven content.
“A lot of the fun and useful parts of the original experience, we just didn’t focus as much on. I think there’s a whole opportunity to go one-by-one and rebuild these joyful experiences that no one else has recreated online,” Zuckerberg said.
Why Facebook is targeting Gen Z
Despite being the world’s most widely used social media platform, with over a third of the global population logging in monthly, Facebook has struggled to grow among Gen Z and younger audiences, who prefer platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat.
Analysts say reintroducing nostalgic and interactive features like the Poke button could help Facebook strengthen its relevance among younger users while also rekindling engagement with older users who remember the platform’s early days.