Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 2 billion monthly active users worldwide. On Facebook, users can follow the activities of their friends, family, celebrities, brands, and other accounts by connecting as “friends” or “liking” pages. One aspect of managing connections on Facebook is being able to unfollow accounts without the other user being notified.
Does Facebook notify you when someone unfollows you?
When someone decides to unfollow or unfriend you on Facebook, you will not get a notification informing you of this action. Facebook does not currently have any feature that alerts users if they have been unfollowed or unfriended. So if someone unfollows you, you will not get any message from Facebook about it.
The main ways you can tell if someone has unfollowed you on Facebook are:
- You notice their updates have disappeared from your News Feed
- You no longer see their name when you try to visit their profile from your friends list
- Your number of followers/friends has decreased by one
But none of these methods provide instant alerts that you’ve been unfollowed. You will only discover it if you happen to check on the person’s profile or notice your follower count has gone down. Facebook provides no proactive notifications.
Can you see who views your Facebook profile?
Facebook does not have a direct way for you to see who views your profile. This means that if someone decides to unfollow you and still views your profile, you have no way to know from your end that they viewed your page.
Facebook previously had a “Recent Visitors” section that showed limited information about people who viewed your profile. However, this feature was removed years ago and no longer exists. Facebook’s position is that profile visits should be private.
There are third-party apps that claim they can help you see profile visitors, but Facebook does not authorize these apps to provide this data. Any app that can show your profile visitors is likely using misleading techniques, like tracking clicks, which don’t reliably indicate views. So there is no accurate way to see who is viewing your profile using any approved method or app.
Can you see who unfollows you on Facebook?
Unfortunately there is no direct way to see a list of who has unfollowed you on Facebook through official account tools. Since Facebook does not notify you of unfollows, there is no record kept that you can view.
Some indirect ways you may be able to work out who unfollowed you include:
- Checking which profiles are no longer showing updates in your feed
- Going through your full friends list manually and looking for missing accounts
- Using a third-party social media management platform connected to your account to analyze unfollowers
- Exporting a copy of your data from Facebook and reviewing changes in connections
But none of these methods will provide a complete list, so it takes some work piecing together possible unfollows. There are some third-party apps that claim to show your unfollowers, but most rely on approximations and assumptions rather than official data.
Can you tell if someone is stalking you on Facebook?
There is no way to conclusively determine if someone is stalking your Facebook profile from your account settings. This is because Facebook does not provide users with visibility on who views their profile or how often.
Some signs that may indicate a person is continually or obsessively viewing your profile include:
- They constantly like and comment on old posts or photos soon after you share them
- They mention details about your activities that you haven’t shared with them
- They request to connect on other social platforms where they didn’t previously follow you
However, it’s difficult to confirm stalking behavior based on this kind of circumstantial evidence. The person may just be very active on Facebook. Some users even proactively follow the profiles of all their friends closely. So there are limited ways to definitively conclude you are being stalked on Facebook.
Should Facebook add an unfollower notification feature?
There are reasonable arguments on both sides of whether Facebook should implement some form of notification for being unfollowed or unfriended:
Arguments For Adding Unfollower Notifications
- It would satisfy user curiosity and provide transparency.
- It could act as a prompt to improve how you use Facebook.
- It may better inform users if their contacts want less interaction.
- The notification could be optional to avoid unwanted social pressure.
Arguments Against Adding Unfollower Notifications
- It could facilitate stalking and harassment by resentful ex-friends.
- It may cause unnecessary social drama over minor Facebook behaviors.
- It violates expectations of privacy and discretion for unfollowing.
- Facebook’s goal is to connect people, not highlight disconnections.
Given these potential upsides and downsides, Facebook has logically avoided unfollow notifications as the cons seem to outweigh the pros. The tool could be misused by stalkers and provoke antagonism between friends. Facebook has committed to only building features that maximize positive engagement.
Conclusion
While some social media platforms will send out notifications if a user unfollows you, Facebook has deliberately chosen not to implement this type of alerting system. The act of unfollowing or unfriending someone on Facebook is intended to be discreet and invisible to the user being unfollowed.
The main way you can tell if someone has unfollowed you is by observing that their updates and profile are no longer visible in your feed and friends list. But Facebook provides no proactive notices or tools to view unfollowers. This approach minimizes unwanted social consequences from the common act of unfollowing contacts.
Given Facebook’s strong stance on privacy and their focus on facilitating positive social interactions, it is unlikely unfollower notifications will be added any time soon. The company seems committed to keeping this user behavior private. So if you do get unfollowed, Facebook won’t be directly letting you know.
| Platform | Notifies on Unfollow? |
|---|---|
| No | |
| Yes | |
| Yes | |
| YouTube | No |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone tell if you look at their Facebook profile?
No, Facebook does not notify users if someone views their profile. The platform removed the ability to see profile visitors several years ago. So you can look at people’s profiles anonymously.
Why did someone unfollow me on Facebook?
Common reasons people unfollow on Facebook include losing touch with contacts, filtering feed clutter from unimportant updates, unfollowing inactive accounts, and disconnecting from ex-friends or former colleagues. It rarely signals anything personal.
What happens when you unfriend someone on Facebook?
Unfriending on Facebook removes you from the person’s friends list and removes them from yours. You will no longer see each other’s posts, photos, or activity updates. All non-public content shared between you also becomes inaccessible.
Can you tell who views your Instagram?
No, Instagram does not show who views your Instagram profile. However, if you have a business account you can see analytics on how many profile visits you receive.
Can someone tell if you screenshot their Instagram story?
No, users are not notified if someone takes a screenshot of their Instagram story. You can screenshot any story anonymously without the creator being alerted.
Key Takeaways
- Facebook does not notify users if they have been unfollowed or unfriended.
- You cannot see a list of who has unfollowed you on Facebook.
- There is no way to tell if someone is stalking your Facebook profile.
- Adding unfollow notifications could have negative social consequences.
- Facebook seems unlikely to ever add alerts for being unfollowed.