I was going to title this post Poke Backs, but reading a presenter's bio on importance of volunteering at this year's Yes You Can had me thinking about Lady Gaga (read it, you'll understand)
I've made mention of this before, but perhaps this is the first time I'm saying it publicly: I collect Facebook pokes. Currently I have 371 pokes. My goal is to reach 400 and then exceed that. I think that's pretty cool. Maybe not as cool as my pursuit for longest Starburst chain I attempted back in high school, but cool nonetheless. Facebook pokes mean nothing. Or so I thought.
Riding the bus I usually read a copy of the Metro, and there is a section at the back devoted to "love tweets" that partners can send each other. Well, one person confesses that it took her 2 months to muster up the courage to "poke" her crush. Maybe I'm overanalyzing, and it is a simple joke, but I began to think about what it does mean to "poke" someone on Facebook.
In 2006 when the poke feature the cool thing to do, a sudden trend emerged: poking wars. Someone would poke you, and you would poke them back, it was a never-ending cycle because no one wants to be the person to not poke back. I didn't like this game, because it fueled my addiction to sign into my account just for the need of "poking them back". So instead I've been collecting them ever since.
I've been fronted with some resistance, however, because apparently some people just do not poke me back. I've had some dudes tell me they refuse to poke back. I've had some girls ask why they were poked. Some definitions of the "poke" I've heard include:
- method of flirtation; you poke the person you like
- sexual interest; you poke the person you want to have sex with
- hello; you poke someone you haven't communicated with in a while (Facebook's definition)
But then what if you are on the receiving end of a poke? What does it mean to "poke back"?
For me, the Facebook "poke" reminds me of msn's "nudge" feature. Sure it can be a lame way of connecting with people online, but aren't we all trying to find ways of staying connected?
What does a Facebook poke mean to you?
Hmmmmm, what does the Facebook poke mean to me?
ReplyDeleteI guess they mean to me that that person had been thinking of me, but didn't really have anything to say.
You know those times when someone is on your mind, but you have no idea what to say to them? Solution: Poke!
I guess that's what I think, but I don't know, I don't really poke people at all, but after reading this and knowing that you collect them, I'm going to go poke you now.
Great Post!
I think poking is fine among same sex friends. Well, I guess I could see it being weird for guys poking guys since "poking" seems playful.
ReplyDeleteI also think that poking is fine among opposite sex friends who are both on the same page of where they are in they're friendship. But I think where it becomes a grey area and something that should be done with caution is when you poke a member of the opposite sex that you don't know well. Because there is no clear global definition of what a poke actually means, people interpret it differently.
Bottom line: When in doubt don't poke.
I think in your case though, Peter, where you are specifically advertising your collection of pokes, it allows you to poke girls that you don't know well because you are giving them a reason for the poke. But if they don't know that you're collecting them, then you could be sending them the wrong message or just confusing them.
But I still don't understand why you collect them! haha
@ Esther - thanks for the poke!
ReplyDelete@ Amanda - I found that if a person were to add me on Facebook, step 1 would be to accept request and step 2 would be to send a poke, and I think nothing of it. Admittedly, I do find it a little weird to send a friend request to someone and then send a poke as soon as they have accepted (especially a member of the opposite sex)
I searched for this blogpost before I decided to poke you back.
ReplyDelete