Facebook is looking to make the "poke" feature, a symbol associated with the early days of this social network, return as a core part of the user experience.
Technically, poke has never disappeared from Facebook. However, after many years of being neglected, this feature suddenly recorded an increase among young people, prompting Meta to decide to renew and make it more prominent.
Currently, users can "deposit" for friends with a dedicated button right on their personal page.
When deposited, the recipient will receive a notification, and can access the Facebook.com/pokes page to track the number of deposits, as well as find friends to deposit more.
The new feature of the upgraded version is the gamification mechanism, which converts poke into a gaming experience.
Each deposit will be accumulated into a number of times, along with symbols such as fire or 100 next to the friends names, reminiscent of how Snapchat and TikTok use streaks to maintain daily interaction habits.
However, this model has caused controversy because of its addictive properties, causing management agencies to repeatedly investigate.
In fact, Meta has been trying to restore poke since 2024 by improving search capabilities and direct deposits after finding friends.
With just a small change, the amount of poke has increased 13 times in just one month. This comeback, the company expects to turn poke into a tool to help Facebook regain the connection of young users, a group that is increasingly moving away from the platform.
However, the real purpose of "deposit" is still an open question. Facebook has never explained clearly, to let users decide for themselves, it could be a way to flirt, attract attention or simply tease.
Although it cannot be compared to a streak in popularity, poke is considered a new step in Meta's efforts to restore its appeal to Gen Z.
In the context that Facebook is still the main source of revenue nurturing metaverse and AI projects, retaining young users could determine the survival of this long-standing social network.
