Following someone on Facebook simply means you have subscribed to their public posts without being friends. When you follow a person or Page on Facebook, you’ll see their public posts in your News Feed. Following allows you to stay up-to-date with people and organizations you’re interested in, without having to friend them.
What happens when you follow someone on Facebook?
When you follow someone on Facebook, here’s what happens:
- You’ll see posts from their public profile in your News Feed. This includes public posts they share on their timeline.
- You won’t see any of their private posts or be able to view their full profile information.
- The person won’t be notified when you follow them.
- You’ll be able to unfollow or refollow them at any time.
So in summary, following gives you access to a person’s or organization’s public posts without formally connecting as friends. It’s a one-way connection – they won’t see updates about your activity unless they also follow you.
Why follow someone on Facebook?
Here are some common reasons people use the follow feature on Facebook:
- Stay updated on news and announcements from organizations, media, publishers, sports teams, etc. Follow to see their public posts in your feed.
- Follow influencers, thought leaders, creators, celebrities, etc. to keep up with their public content.
- Follow friends of friends or acquaintances you don’t know well enough to friend, but still want to follow casually.
- Follow people you’ve lost touch with or have unfriended but still want to follow from a distance.
- Discreetly follow someone without notifying them or cluttering their friend list.
In summary, the follow feature allows you to quietly keep up with people and Pages without mutual friending. It’s useful for staying in the loop with public figures, organizations, and loose acquaintances.
Who can see that you follow someone?
When you follow someone on Facebook, it’s not public information. Here’s who can see that you follow someone:
- You can see a list of everyone you follow in your News Feed Preferences.
- The person you followed cannot see that you follow them.
- Your friends cannot see who you follow.
So following someone is completely private to you. Neither the person you follow nor your friends will know that you’ve followed them. The only place it’s visible is in your own News Feed Preferences.
Can you follow a friend?
You cannot follow someone who is already your Facebook friend. The follow button only appears for people who are not already connected to you as friends on Facebook.
Can someone follow you back?
Following works one way. When you follow someone, they will not automatically follow you back. They won’t even be notified that you started following them.
You can only see a list of your own followers if you have a public figure Page. Regular users cannot see who follows them on their personal profile.
Does following share your info with someone?
Following does not share any of your personal information or profile details with the person you follow. It simply allows their public posts to appear in your feed. They will not see anything about you or have access to your profile just because you follow them.
The only information they may be able to see is your name and profile photo if you comment on one of their public posts.
Can you message someone you follow?
You cannot directly message someone you follow. Since you are not Facebook friends, you don’t have access to private messaging with that person.
The only way to interact is by commenting on their public posts that appear in your News Feed. And keep in mind they may have comment approvals enabled, which means your comments need their approval before appearing publicly.
Does following someone clutter their profile?
No, following someone does not add you to their friends list or clutter up their profile in any way. It does not notify them, show up on their profile, or add you to their friend count.
From their perspective, they have no indication whether someone follows them or not. Your follow is completely invisible to them.
Can you see someone’s followers?
As a regular Facebook user, you cannot see a list of who follows your personal profile. However, Pages with large public audiences can view Insights to see the demographics of their followers.
The only followers you can see are your own – you can view a list of everyone you follow in your News Feed Preferences. But there’s no way to see your own followers.
Does following make your posts appear in someone’s feed?
No, following someone does not make your posts appear in their feed. It’s a one-way connection – you see their posts but they do not see yours.
The only way your posts would appear in their feed is if they also follow you, or you are connected as friends.
Can you get notified when someone you follow posts?
You cannot subscribe to notifications every time someone you follow makes a post. However, their public posts will automatically appear towards the top of your News Feed whenever you log into Facebook.
So while you won’t get notifications, their new posts should be highly visible in your regular feed. You can also bookmark their profile to add their page as a shortcut to check.
Is there a limit to how many people you can follow?
Facebook has not published any official limits on how many people you can follow. However, at a certain point you may notice some of the latest follows dropping out of your News Feed.
To ensure posts from important follows don’t get buried, try organizing them into Lists. You can create custom Lists like “News Sites” or “Friend’s Friends” to better manage the incoming feed.
Is it bad to follow someone you don’t know?
It’s generally fine to follow someone you don’t know, like a public figure, celebrity, or organization. Following is meant for seeing public updates from people outside your friend circle.
However, continuously following or unfollowing the same person can appear strange if they notice. Moderately follow people you genuinely want to keep updated on, rather than excessively flipping the follow switch out of curiosity.
Is it weird to follow an ex or someone you used to know?
It’s natural to be curious about the lives of exes or old connections. Following them allows you to passively keep tabs without reaching out. However, beware that repeatedly flipping the follow switch on and off can look strange if they notice. Use discretion to follow from a distance without seeming obsessive.
What happens if you unfollow someone?
When you unfollow someone on Facebook:
- Their public posts will stop appearing in your News Feed
- It does not notify them or remove you from their followers
- You can still refollow them again anytime
Unfollowing simply removes their updates from your feed. You can refollow them again later if you change your mind. They will not be alerted at any point.
Does unfollowing remove you as a follower?
No, unfollowing someone does not remove you from their followers list (if they have one). You remain in their followers count.
Unfollowing only stops seeing their posts in your own feed. Their follower number stays the same whether you actually see their posts or not.
Should you unfollow or unfriend someone you no longer want to see?
If you wish to no longer see someone’s feed, unfollowing them is better than unfriending if:
- You want to quietly distance yourself without notice
- You still have some mutual friends or contacts
- You might be interested in refollowing them later
However, if you want to send a clear message or no longer have any connections, unfriending may be warranted. Evaluate the situation to decide if definitively disconnecting is necessary.
Can someone tell if you unfollow them?
No, there is no notification when someone unfollows you on Facebook. One minute their posts may be in your feed; the next they are gone. But the person themselves has no indication this has happened behind the scenes.
Pages with analytics may notice a slight drop in followers, but they cannot pinpoint exactly who unfollowed.
Should you tell someone you unfollowed them?
There is no need to proactively tell someone you have unfollowed them on Facebook. Since unfollowing is private, this would likely just create an awkward conversation.
If they ask you directly if you still follow them, you can diplomatically answer without hurting feelings on either side.
Can someone re-follow after unfollowing?
Yes, you can always re-follow someone after unfollowing them. To follow them again:
- Go to their profile page
- Click the Follow button that appears next to Add Friend
Their public posts will again begin appearing in your News Feed as soon as you refollow. You can repeat this process as often as you want.
Should you follow back people who follow you?
When someone follows your Facebook profile, you are not notified so there is no expectation to follow back. However, if you want to mutually follow each other:
- Go to your News Feed Preferences and see the list of your followers.
- Visit profiles that interest you and click the Follow button.
Connecting as friends on Facebook may develop a deeper bond. But following back is a nice gesture to stay updated if you have a weaker tie.
What’s the difference between friends and followers?
| Friends | Followers |
|---|---|
| Two-way connection | One-way connection |
| Access to profile and content | See only public posts |
| Appear in each other’s friend list | Followers are invisible |
| Can message directly | Can only comment publicly |
Friends have a two-way, mutual connection. Followers are loosely connected one way. Friending provides more access, while following is more discreet.
Should I follow or friend new connections?
When connecting on Facebook with someone new, consider friending if:
- You want to get to know them better
- You will interact frequently
- You want to tag them in posts
- You don’t mind if they see everything you post
Follow if:
- You want to loosely follow their public updates
- You have a minor real-life connection
- You want a casual, low-maintenance connection
- You want to evaluate them first before friending
So generally, friend deeper connections and follow acquaintances or curiosities. Evaluate your comfort level and goals to decide which is better for new connections.
Conclusion
Following on Facebook creates a subtle, one-way connection to see someone’s public posts without friending. It allows you to quietly keep up with their news without tying your profiles together. Use discretion to follow people for the right reasons. Pay attention to changes in your feed preferences over time as your interests and priorities evolve. With over 2 billion users, Facebook grants many options – friend, follow, unfollow – to curate the ongoing story of your connections, both close and casual.