So, you got “poked” by someone on Facebook—now what? A Facebook poke is a feature on the
social media platform that lets users send a single virtual notification to a friend. No more, no less.
What is Poking on Facebook Despite the feature’s name, the purpose of a poke has never been
entirely clear.
While poking was all the rage in 2007, it’s worth noting that its popularity has
significantly declined on Facebook over the past few years. In 2011, the feature officially went into
hiding on the site as part of a series of functionality updates. In the younger days of Facebook, a
poke was a cute and timid (though ineffective) way to virtually flirt or just say hello. Today, pokes
still exist but it’s hardly straightforward: Receiving a casual poke from your grandmother and your
crush on the same day can leave you with bizarre mixed messages. Still confused as to why someone
would poke you on Facebook, or what it could mean?
Read: how to cancel an already sent facebook
Here are all your Facebook poke questions, answered. What does Poke mean on Facebook?
Essentially, a poke is the same as alike, with a much more ambiguous purpose. According to Urban
Dictionary, a poke “allows users to say ‘hello’ to or show interest in a friend without having to go
through the tedious process of crafting coherent sentences.” Basically, a Poke means someone is
trying to get your attention, flood your notifications just for fun, or find an excuse to flirt. An early
Facebook FAQ page read, “When we created the poke, we thought it would be cool to have a feature
without any specific purpose. People interpret the poke in many different ways, and we encourage
you to come up with your own meanings.” Whether or not you find a poke sweet, unimpressive, or
creepy is entirely up to you. Although if you’ve frequented Facebook a lot in the past year,
sometimes it’s nice to have a wordless interaction void of any rants or political commentary. what
does poke mean on facebook Screengrab via Facebook A Poke is arguably an outdated flirting
method. Sliding into DMs, or direct messages is the new way to get someone’s attention on social
media.