Facebook Revives the ”Poke” – A Nostalgia Play or a path to Addiction?
By Rachel Kim, World-Today-news.com – October 24, 2024
Meta is dusting off a relic from Facebook’s past: the “poke.” In a move that’s sparking both nostalgia and concern, the social media giant has revamped the feature, allowing users to send pokes directly from a friend’s profile and receive instant notifications. A dedicated page at facebook.com/pokes now tracks who’s been “poked” and displays a “poke count” – essentially gamifying a once-enigmatic interaction.
But this isn’t simply a trip down memory lane. Meta’s strategy appears to be a deliberate attempt to replicate the engagement tactics of rivals like Snapchat and TikTok. The revamped poke now incorporates a reward system – fire emojis, “100” badges, and other visual cues – displayed next to the names of frequent “pokers.” This echoes Snapchat’s “Streaks” and tiktok’s badge system, designed to incentivize consistent interaction and transform app usage into a social game.
A 13x Increase in Usage – Proof of Concept?
This isn’t the first attempt to breathe life back into the poke. In March 2024, Meta simplified the process of finding and sending pokes. The result? A staggering 13-fold increase in usage the following month, suggesting the feature still holds a certain appeal, especially when made more accessible.
But what does a poke even mean? Facebook has intentionally left the interpretation open-ended. Is it a playful nudge, a flirtatious gesture
