Facebook’s friend system allows users to add friends and organize them into different lists like Close Friends, Acquaintances, and Restricted. When you add someone as a Facebook friend, they will get a friend request notification and can see that you added them. However, if you add someone to an acquaintance list instead of as a friend, it does not notify them or allow them to see it. So no, someone cannot see if you make them an acquaintance on Facebook instead of a friend.
Adding Friends vs Acquaintances on Facebook
On Facebook, there are two main ways to connect with other users:
- Sending a friend request – This adds the person to your main Friends list and notifies them.
- Adding to acquaintance list – This adds the person to a separate Acquaintances list without notifying them.
When you send someone a friend request, they will get a notification that you want to add them as a friend. They can then choose to confirm the request, which adds you to their friends list, or ignore it. So when you send a friend request, the other user is aware of it.
However, if you add someone to your Acquaintances list instead, this does not send them any notification or request. You are simply organizing them into a separate list on your own friends page. The other user has no indication that you have added them as an acquaintance.
Viewing Your Own Friends and Acquaintances Lists
On your own Facebook account, your different friends lists are visible to you. You can view your main Friends list as well as any other custom lists you have created, like Acquaintances, Close Friends, Coworkers, etc.
So you are able to see your full friends page with all lists, but other users cannot see how you have organized your contacts. They only know if they are in your main Friends list or not.
Privacy Settings for Custom Friends Lists
Under your Facebook privacy settings, you can control who is able to see your different friends lists:
- Public – Anyone viewing your profile can see the full list.
- Friends Only – Only your added friends can see the full list.
- Only Me – No one else can view the list besides you.
The default setting is Public, so anyone could potentially see your acquaintances and other lists. But you can change this to Only Me so no one else has visibility into how you organize your contacts.
How Adding as Acquaintance Differs from Friend Request
Here is a comparison of what happens when you send a friend request versus adding someone to your acquaintance list only:
| Action | Friend Request | Add as Acquaintance |
|---|---|---|
| Notification sent to user? | Yes | No |
| User must confirm request? | Yes | No |
| Visible in your main Friends list? | Yes | No |
| Added to separate Acquaintances list | No | Yes |
As shown in the table, the key difference is that adding someone as an acquaintance does not send them any notification or prompt them to confirm like a friend request does. It simply adds them to your own Acquaintances list privately.
Limits on Acquaintances List
Facebook does place some limits on how many acquaintances you can add:
- Maximum 5000 acquaintances per list
- Maximum total 50,000 acquaintances across all lists
So you could not add an unlimited number of people as acquaintances. But within those limits, you have full control over organizing your contacts without notifying them.
Acquaintance Requests for Public Figures
For public figures, brands, artists, influencers, or other entities with an audience, there is also an Acquaintance Request feature. This allows you to send a one-way acquaintance request to follow their public updates without needing approval.
When you send an Acquaintance Request to a public page, the page receives a notification just like a normal friend request. They can see and manage these requests under their Notifications.
So for public figures, Acquaintance Requests work differently than adding normal users to your own acquaintances list privately. Public pages are notified when you follow them.
Limits of Acquaintance Interactions
Having someone as an acquaintance on Facebook rather than a confirmed friend does limit your interactions with them:
- Can’t message acquaintances directly
- Acquaintances don’t see your full timeline posts
- No access to all acquaintances’ content
You have access to acquaintances’ public profile information and posts. But without confirmed friend status, you don’t have full access to their content or ability to message. So acquaintances are more limited than confirmed friends on Facebook.
Other Social Media Acquaintance Options
On other social networks, here is how acquaintances work:
Does not have separate acquaintance lists. You either follow someone or you don’t. Following someone is public.
Following someone is public but does not require approval. You can follow anyone without them confirming.
You can connect with someone without sending a connection invitation. This adds them to your connections privately without notifying.
So Facebook is unique in allowing customizable acquaintance lists. On other platforms, following or connecting with someone is either public or one-way without confirmation.
Conclusion
To summarize the key points:
- Facebook acquaintances are added to separate private lists without notification.
- Friend requests notify the user and require confirmation.
- Others cannot see your acquaintance lists by default.
- Interactions are more limited with acquaintances versus confirmed friends.
- Public figures do receive notifications when you follow them.
In the end, you have full control over your acquaintance lists. No notification or confirmation is needed to add someone. So no, users cannot see if you make them an acquaintance privately on your own Facebook account. It remains invisible unless you choose to send a pending friend request instead.