Facebook uses a variety of factors to recommend friend suggestions to its users. One of the key factors is geographic location – Facebook does take into account a user’s location and suggests friends who are nearby. However, location is just one of many elements that Facebook considers. Other factors like mutual friends, workplaces, schools, and interests also play a role in Facebook’s friend recommendation algorithm.
How Facebook’s friend suggestion algorithm works
Facebook has not publicly revealed the exact details of how its friend suggestion algorithm works. However, based on observational data and some comments from Facebook executives over the years, it seems that the algorithm uses the following approaches:
- Mutual friends – Facebook looks at who you already have as friends and suggests their friends that you may know but aren’t yet connected to on Facebook.
- Networks – Facebook considers networks like your workplace, school, family, and more. People who belong to the same networks as you are likely to get suggested.
- Location – Your current city and hometown listed on your profile are considered by Facebook’s algorithm. People who live in the same places are likely to get suggested.
- Interests – Facebook looks at pages and content you’ve liked and interests you’ve listed. People with similar interests get suggested.
- Events – If you and another person have both marked that you’re going to the same event, you may get suggested.
- Contact information – If you upload your contacts or let Facebook scan your contacts, it can match you to other people based on having their contact info.
- Cookies/Device IDs – Facebook can identify you across devices and browsers using cookies and device fingerprints, so it can make connections between accounts.
Facebook combines these signals in its algorithm, along with other proprietary methods, to generate friend recommendations tailored to each user. Location data is fed into the algorithm as one of the many factors.
Evidence that Facebook uses location for friend suggestions
There are a few key pieces of evidence that indicate Facebook does use location data for its friend recommendations:
- Location-based suggestions – Many Facebook users have reported getting friend suggestions for people who live in the same city or neighborhood but have no other obvious connections.
- Travel-based suggestions – Users who travel and open Facebook in a new location will often see friend suggestions for local residents of that area.
- University research – In 2011, researchers from the University of Maryland were able to influence Facebook’s friend recommendation algorithm by manipulating location data associated with accounts. Suggestions favored people closer geographically.
- Facebook’s statements – While not outright confirming the use of location data, Facebook executives have hinted they use location signals like check-ins for friend suggestions.
This evidence strongly suggests that proximity and location are weighted factors in Facebook’s algorithm. However, it’s also clear location isn’t the only element as people get many suggestions for friends in other places.
How location data improves friend recommendations
Using location data likely helps Facebook provide higher quality friend recommendations in the following ways:
- Finds local connections – Location can identify people in your area that you’re likely to know through offline interactions but aren’t yet connected to online.
- Contextual relevance – Suggesting geographically close friends may be more useful than random strangers who live far away.
- Common interests – People who live in the same area often share common interests related to local events, groups, and businesses.
- Serendipity – Sometimes you meet and befriend people who live nearby in unexpected ways, and location data enables this.
- Travel needs – Getting friend suggestions for a place you’ve traveled to can help you meet locals and get advice.
Overall, incorporating location signals into its algorithm helps Facebook recommend friends that align more closely with real-world social connections and needs.
Limitations of using location data
Despite the benefits, there are some limitations to Facebook using location for friend suggestions:
- Over-reliance on location – Suggestions may become too narrow if location is weighted too heavily compared to other factors.
- Reduced relevance for some connections – Many friendships form without location being a key factor, such as online relationships.
- Privacy concerns – Some users may not be comfortable with Facebook using location to derive information about their social connections.
- Incorrect or outdated locations – User profile locations may not always be accurate or current if people move around.
- Filter bubble effect – Prioritizing geographic closeness runs the risk of creating a localized filter bubble and reducing diverse suggestions.
Facebook has to strike a balance with using location data to improve relevance but not making it too dominant compared to other social factors.
User control over location-based suggestions
Facebook does provide some measure of control to users over location-based friend recommendations:
- Profile location privacy – Users can choose to hide their current city and hometown from their public profile.
- Location services – Turning off location services for the Facebook app may limit location data being accessed.
- Ad preferences – Adjusting ad preferences can opt users out of location-based ads and suggestions.
- Contacts upload – Don’t upload contacts to Facebook and it has less data to match locations.
- Filter suggested friends – Manually filtering out location-based suggestions can improve relevancy over time.
However, location signals are still used even if profile locations are hidden, so controls are limited. Users concerned about location privacy may need to be very selective in sharing any location details with Facebook to minimize related friend suggestions.
Conclusion
Facebook does use location as one of the key factors in its algorithm for recommending friends. Observations of location-based suggestions, research studies, and hints from Facebook all indicate geography and proximity play a role. However, many other signals like social graphs, networks, and interests limit location from being the dominant factor.
Location helps Facebook connect people who may know each other offline but aren’t yet friends online. But overreliance on location also has downsides like reduced diversity and privacy concerns. While users have some controls, limitations exist in fully opting out of location-based friend suggestions.
In summary, Facebook does leverage users’ location data to improve friend recommendations, but it’s carefully balanced with many other factors. Geographic proximity alone doesn’t determine Facebook’s suggested friends list, but it does notably influence it based on the available evidence.