Facebook brings back flirtatious 'Poke' button after surge in popularity among Gen Z

Facebook users are now having an easier time poking one another.

The social media platform has brought back the Poke button it its website design so that it is more noticeable online or in an app.

According to Business Insider, Meta made a design tweak in early 2024 that made the Poke button more visible.

The new design appears on the button next to any name that a Facebook user searches for on the social media platform.

Gen Z Facebook users have given a positive response to the new design.

Following Meta's edits, Facebook Pokes have gone up by 1,300 percent.

Meta tweaked the Facebook design earlier this year so that the Poke button would no longer be hidden within the website

The new design appears on the button next to any name that a Facebook user searches for on the social media platform

Gen Z Facebook users have given a positive response to the new design. Following Meta's edits, Facebook Pokes have gone up by 1,300 percent

The Poke is a well-known feature on the social media platform and was even on the website when it used to be called TheFacebook.

'When we created the Poke, we thought it would be cool to have a feature without any specific purpose,' Facebook explained their FAQ page in 2007.

'People interpret the poke in many different ways, and we encourage you to come up with your own meanings.' 

Poking became the Facebook feature that ignited Poke wars between users and 'lighthearted' flirting.

After it declined in popularity, the Poking button mysteriously disappeared sometime after 2014.

The Poke button almost made a comeback in 2017, but alas, it remained hidden somewhere within the social media platform.

Now, anyone, including Gen Z individuals could access the Poke button just searching 'pokes' on Facebook or facebook.com/pokes.

The Poke is a well-known feature on the social media platform and was on the website when it used to be called TheFacebook

Poking became the Facebook feature that ignited Poke wars between users and 'lighthearted' flirting as time went on

The popularity of the Facebook Poke button began to decline in 2011 and it disappeared from the website design sometime after 2014

The comeback officials were looking for in 2017 is now here thanks in part to its popularity with Gen Z-ers.

According to Meta, more than 50 percent of new Pokes are made by users between the ages of 18 and 29.

However, a 2013 study published by Ignite Social Media showed that out of the average 65 percent of all Facebook users who use the app frequently, only 42 percent of Gen Z use it to the same degree.

The data from the October 2023 study also showed that Facebook is the fourth most popular social media platform for Gen Z.

Gen Z is responding well to the new Facebook design, but it's unclear if the Poke button is enough for the social media platform to rise in popularity.