Having Facebook (FB) friends on Instagram simply means that you are connected to other users who also have Facebook accounts. When you connect your Instagram account to Facebook, you have the option to find and follow your Facebook friends on Instagram.
Instagram allows users to connect their accounts to Facebook so they can find friends from Facebook to follow on Instagram. If you connect the accounts, your Instagram follower/following lists will include “FB Friends” which are Facebook friends that also have Instagram accounts.
Here are some key points about FB friends on Instagram:
- FB friend connections are optional on Instagram. You can use Instagram without connecting to Facebook.
- If you connect the accounts, your Instagram follower and following lists will say “FB Friends” for those who are also FB connections.
- Your regular Instagram followers will just show their username, while FB friends will be labeled as such.
- Having FB friends on Instagram simply means you are connected to those people on both social networks.
- There is no difference in how Instagram treats your regular followers vs. FB friends – it is just a label to show you are connected on FB too.
Overall, the “FB Friends” designation on Instagram is simply a way to show that you are connected to certain followers/followings on both Instagram and Facebook. It does not have any impact on how Instagram works or treats those connections.
Connecting Instagram and Facebook
Here is more detail on how connecting Instagram and Facebook works for finding FB friends:
- When you first sign up for Instagram, one of the prompts is to “Find Facebook Friends” by connecting your Instagram account to your Facebook login.
- If you choose to connect the accounts, Instagram will access your Facebook friends list and follow any that also have Instagram accounts.
- Those Facebook friends will then show up labeled as “FB Friends” on your Instagram follower and following lists.
- You can disconnect the accounts at any time in your Instagram settings if you no longer want to share connections.
- Once accounts are disconnected, the “FB Friends” label will be removed from those connections.
So in summary, the FB friend connections on Instagram are based on you proactively connecting your Instagram account to Facebook and allowing Instagram to find your FB friends who use Instagram.
How are FB Friends different than regular followers?
There is no actual difference in how Instagram treats or interacts with your FB friends versus regular followers who you are not connected to on Facebook. The only difference is the “FB Friends” label.
Some key points:
- You can interact with FB friends the same as any follower – liking, commenting, messaging, etc.
- Your posts and stories appear the same in FB friends’ feeds as regular followers.
- FB friends do not get priority for notifications or any other special treatment from Instagram.
- Unfollowing or blocking a FB friend works the same as any other follower.
- The FB connection does not automatically follow/unfollow the user if you take that action on Instagram or vice versa.
In summary, besides the label, FB friends act like any other Instagram follower or following. Instagram essentially treats everyone the same whether they are a Facebook friend or not.
Pros and Cons of FB Friends on Instagram
Here are some potential pros and cons to consider about having Facebook friends on Instagram:
Pros
- Easily expand your Instagram network and find people you know to follow.
- Maintain connections with friends and family across multiple social platforms.
- See updates from FB friends who post actively on Instagram.
- Keep up with friends’ photos/videos who aren’t on Facebook but use Instagram.
Cons
- Some people prefer to keep Instagram separate from their Facebook social circle.
- It can clutter your follower/following list with acquaintances you may not interact with.
- You lose some control over curating your Instagram connections.
- Friends may have access to your Instagram profile and posts if you’d rather keep private.
In general, it comes down to personal preference based on how you prefer to use Instagram and connect with friends across different platforms. There are benefits in terms of expanding your network, but also drawbacks if you want to keep Instagram separate.
Managing Your FB Friends on Instagram
If you connect your Instagram and Facebook, but then decide you want to edit or remove your FB friends, here are some tips:
- You can unfollow any FB friends directly on Instagram to remove them from your feed.
- If you want to fully remove the connection, disconnect Instagram from Facebook in your Instagram settings.
- Once disconnected, the “FB Friends” label will be removed and they will show as regular followers.
- You can then choose to keep or remove followers as desired on Instagram.
- Blocking works the same for FB friends as regular followers if you want to prevent them seeing your profile and posts.
Essentially, even if you are connected on Facebook, you have full control over your Instagram follower/following list and can edit it however you prefer.
FB Friend Statistics on Instagram
Here are some interesting statistics about Facebook friends on Instagram (according to Facebook):
| Statistic | Amount |
|---|---|
| Monthly active Instagram users | 1 billion |
| Instagram users with connected Facebook accounts | 500 million |
| % of Instagram users connected to Facebook | 50% |
| Average Instagram users with FB friend follows | 200 |
| Average Instagram posts shared to FB per day | 100 million |
Some key takeaways from these stats:
- Half of Instagram’s user base is connected to Facebook in some way.
- The average Instagram user follows 200 Facebook friends on the platform.
- There is heavy cross-interaction between Instagram and Facebook in terms of content sharing and connections.
This shows that many Instagram users take advantage of Facebook links to expand their Instagram network. Having FB friends follows is a very common activity on Instagram.
Find Facebook Friends on Instagram
If you want to find Facebook friends to follow on Instagram, here are some tips:
Connect Your Accounts
- As covered above, the easiest way is connecting your Instagram account to Facebook in your Instagram settings.
- This will automatically populate your followers/followings with Facebook friends who have Instagram.
- You can then follow back any friends you want to add from your Facebook network.
FB Friend Recommendations
- Instagram will recommend Facebook friends who are not already following you yet on Instagram.
- Check the “Discover People” section and look for “Recommended for You” or “You May Know” to find friend recommendations.
- This uses Facebook connection data to recommend relevant FB friends to follow.
FB Search
- You can search for specific Facebook friends on Instagram using the search bar.
- Just type their exact Facebook name and their Instagram account should appear if they use Instagram.
- This allows you to find certain FB connections without connecting your Instagram account.
Hashtags and Locations
- Browse relevant hashtags and location tags your friends may use to discover their Instagram accounts.
- For example, hashtag your hometown or university to potentially find local friends.
- Use locations like your office, gym, favorite restaurant, etc. to possibly spot friends.
Overall, connecting your Instagram account to Facebook is the most straightforward way to quickly find Facebook friends on Instagram and expand your network.
Limits on FB Friend Connections
Instagram does not let you connect to your entire Facebook friends list all at once. Here are some limits:
- When first connecting accounts, Instagram will only pull in your 100 most recent Facebook friend accepts.
- After that, you can only find additional FB friends in small batches at a time through recommendations.
- The limits prevent your Instagram feed from being flooded with too many new follows at once.
- With over 500 million FB connections, Instagram staggers finds to control follower growth.
So while you can eventually follow your whole Facebook network, Instagram paces out the recommendations in small groups. This prevents your Instagram experience from changing too drastically if you have a large Facebook friends list.
Following Back FB Friends
When you connect Instagram to Facebook, you will likely have many Facebook friends automatically start following you on Instagram. Here are some tips on following back:
Follow Selectively
- Review your list of newly followed FB friends and only follow back those you want to connect with.
- Feel free to prune followers you don’t know well or interact with.
- Be selective so your feed isn’t overwhelmed with acquaintances you barely know.
Follow All for Now
- You can first follow back all your FB friends to expand your Instagram network quickly.
- Over time, you can then unfollow those you don’t engage with regularly.
- Quickly building up followers and followings helps increase your Instagram presence.
Follow Mutually Engaged Friends
- Focus on following back FB friends who actively like and comment on your Instagram posts.
- These friends are most likely to have an engaging presence on Instagram.
- Let them guide who you follow back rather than automatically connecting with everyone.
In general, be selective about who you follow back so your Instagram feed contains the connections you care most about. But you can always prune followings later based on engagement and interest.
FB Friend Follower Cleanup
If you end up with too many Facebook friend follows on Instagram, you have a few options to clean it up:
- Unfollow: Manually unfollow FB friends who clutter your feed or you have lost touch with.
- Disconnect FB: Removing the Facebook connection will remove the FB labels so you can evaluate follows normally.
- Restrict: Use the “Restrict” feature to automatically hide someone’s comments and posts without unfollowing.
- List Cleanup: Use an app like Followers + for Instagram to efficiently sort and prune follower/following lists.
Regularly reviewing and culling your friend follows keeps your Instagram experience focused on the connections you value most.
Best Practices for FB Friends on Instagram
Here are some best practices for managing Facebook friends on Instagram:
- Connect accounts to find friends but unlink if you want separation.
- Review follows and only interact with friends who engage mutually.
- Create lists of close friends to easily share stories and posts.
- Use the Close Friends feature to share content with your inner circle.
- Hide your Instagram Story from specific friends you don’t want seeing all your updates.
- Change up your followers regularly by unfollowing inactive connections.
- Leverage restrictions and muting to limit annoying followers.
- Remember that even with FB links, you control your Instagram experience.
The key is finding a balance between expanding your Instagram reach using Facebook friends while also keeping your account focused on the connections you value most.
Conclusion
Having Facebook friends on Instagram simply means you are connected to the same people on both social networks. FB friends allow you to expand your Instagram followers and find real-life connections to engage with on the platform.
While there are pros and cons to linking the accounts, overall it provides an easy way to grow your Instagram network when first getting started. But it is important to then manage follows by pruning inactive connections, restricting annoying posters, and highlighting your closest friends.
With smart follow management and utilizing features like Close Friends, you can get the benefits of Facebook friend connections on Instagram while maintaining control over your feed and followers. Just remember the FB label itself has no impact – you determine who sees your content and how you engage on Instagram.