Though Facebook may suggest profiles of potential friends who share similar interests, it’s important to be cautious about those who only look at your account. You might choose to avoid them in order to limit your friend count and maintain a stable social circle. In this guide, we will explore whether the individuals suggested as friends on Facebook are the ones who regularly or have previously viewed your profile.
Does Facebook Suggest Friends Who Look at Your Profile?
No, Facebook does not suggest friends based on people who look at your profile. The friend suggestion algorithm takes into account various factors, such as:
- Mutual friends
- Work and educational information
- Networks
- Groups
- Imported contacts
- Geolocation
However, the algorithm does not consider profile stalkers as a factor in suggesting friends. Visiting the profiles of other people may have some influence on the suggested friend list, but it is not the primary criterion used by Facebook.
What Do Suggested Friends Mean on Facebook?
Suggested friends on Facebook are potential connections recommended by the platform. These recommended profiles appear on your account with the factors and algorithms used by Facebook, as mentioned in the heading above. The purpose of these suggestions is to assist users in expanding their social network and connecting with individuals who may have shared interests or connections.
Also Read: What Happened to Suggest a Friend Option in Facebook?
Are Your Suggested Friends on Facebook People Who Viewed Your Profile?
No, Facebook does not recommend you the profiles that only visited your account. Only if they are part of any of the criteria mentioned earlier will they get suggested to you as potential friends.
What are the Factors Affecting the Suggested Friends Line-Up on Facebook?
Let us discuss the four main factors affecting the suggested friend’s line-up on Facebook.
- Mutual Friends: The Facebook algorithm first analyses the mutual friends you share with someone. Mutual friends are the people you may have a connection with. The platform shows mutual friends in the suggested friend list.
- Contacts: If you have permitted Facebook to access your Contacts, it will suggest friends from your phonebook. The platform scans a person’s entire contact list and filters out those already on Facebook. The filtered-out contacts are shortlisted in the suggested friends section.
- Profile Data: The information you enter on your profile speaks about you. Profile data includes educational background, interests, pages you like, and workplace. The Facebook algorithm matches you with people with the same details as you, and then you see them in your Suggested Friends list.
- Location: Users have reported that mostly the people you’re surrounded with are shown in the suggested friend list. Your Facebook location narrow downs and looks for users currently in your location.
Also Read: How to View Facebook Page as Visitor on Desktop
Can You Hide Your Account from Appearing on Peoples Suggested List?
Yes, you can manage your Facebook privacy settings to stop your profile from being recommended to all users. Read the upcoming section to learn the method to do so.
How to Hide Your Account Appearing on Suggested Friends List?
You can alter the privacy and activity settings to prevent your account from appearing in the suggested friends’ line-up for other users with the help of these steps:
1. Visit the Facebook website on your PC/laptop browser.
2. Enter your email address and password and then click on the Log in option.
3. From the Facebook Home page, click on your profile icon from the top right corner.
4. Then, click on Settings & privacy > Settings.
5. From the left pane, click on the Privacy option.
6. Scroll down to the How people can find and contact you section.
7. Click on Edit for the Who can send you friend requests? sub-section and expand the drop-down menu for the same.
8. Select the Friends of friends option and click on Close to stop Facebook suggesting the friends who look at your profile or are mutual friends of your friends.
9. Now, click on Edit for the Do you want search engines outside Facebook to link to your profile? sub-section.
10. Uncheck the checkbox for the Allow search engines outside of Facebook to link to your Profile option.
11. Click on Turn Off from the popup.
Also Read: How to Turn On or Off Friend Suggestions on Facebook App
This article has comprehensively answered your query about whether Facebook suggests friends who view your profile. You can rest assured that Facebook’s friend suggestions are not solely influenced by profile views. Feel free to share your questions or suggestions in the comments, and let’s catch up in our next guide!
