When you receive a friend suggestion on Facebook, you may wonder if the other person also gets a notification that you were recommended as a potential friend. The short answer is no – when Facebook suggests new friends to you, it does not automatically make the same suggestion to them. Friend suggestions on Facebook are based on your existing connections and activity, but are not reciprocal. So just because Claire appears in your “People You May Know” box does not necessarily mean you will appear in hers.
How Facebook’s Friend Suggestions Work
Facebook’s friend recommendation algorithm works by analyzing your profile, friends list, networks, liked pages, and overall activity on the platform. Some of the factors it considers include:
- Friends of friends – People you have a certain number of friends in common with may be suggested, even if you don’t know them directly.
- School and work networks – Facebook suggests people who went to the same schools or work at the same companies as you do.
- Location – People who live in your city or visited places you’ve been to recently may show up as potential friends.
- Pages and groups – Being active in the same Facebook groups or liking similar pages can lead to friend recommendations.
- Events – People you RSVP’d to the same events as may be suggested.
In other words, Facebook looks for connections between you and potential friends based on shared backgrounds, interests, and social circles. However, the algorithm does not simply turn around and make the same suggestions to those people about you being their potential friend. The recommendations you see are personalized to you.
Why Friend Suggestions Are Not Reciprocal
There are a few reasons why Facebook’s friend recommendations only go one way:
Privacy
Facebook has to be careful about not revealing too much personal information without users’ consent. Letting someone know exactly when and why they appeared as a suggestion to someone else could breach their privacy in some cases. The platform wants to show you potential friends based on your own activity rather than telling people about your activity.
Relevance
Just because Facebook’s algorithm determined that Claire would be a good friend suggestion for you does not necessarily mean the reverse is true. The factors that made you a relevant suggestion for Claire may be different from the factors that made Claire a good suggestion for you. Facebook wants to show each user the most useful friend recommendations for them individually.
Encouraging Connections
If friend suggestions were reciprocal, some people may be less likely to send a friend request for fear of looking like they had been snooping on someone’s profile if that person did not get the same suggestion. By making recommendations one-sided, Facebook removes some of the awkwardness potential that could discourage new connections.
Limiting Spam
If every friend suggestion was reciprocated, people may be inundated with even more notifications about potential friends. Facebook likely limits it to suggestions that are most relevant to each specific user to avoid flooding inboxes and profiles with friend recommendations.
When Someone May Receive a Reciprocal Suggestion
While friend suggestions are not automatically reciprocal, there are some cases where someone suggested to you may later end up getting the same suggestion about connecting. This could happen organically if:
- They later view your profile or engage with your content – This adds a signal to the algorithm about potential relevance.
- You both join the same new groups or events – These new elements in common may lead the algorithm to show them as a suggestion.
- You gain more friends in common – Having more shared connections increases the likelihood they’ll be recommended.
So it is possible that someone who shows up as a suggestion now could eventually see you suggested to them as well, even if it was not an immediate reciprocal recommendation. The friend suggestions being one-sided originally allows Facebook to make the best customized recommendations without inundating people with irrelevant notifications.
How to Tell if Someone Gets the Same Friend Suggestion
If you want to find out whether someone who appeared as a friend recommendation to you also got you as a suggestion, here are a couple approaches:
Ask Them
The simplest way is to just ask them or look at their friend suggestions box yourself if you have access to their profile. Since friend suggestions change regularly, you would need to check soon after noticing they appeared for you.
Look for Other Signals
If they soon like or comment on one of your posts or view your profile, it’s possible they got you as a recommendation. Without asking directly, you can’t know for sure, but those signals might indicate they were recently prompted to check you out.
Connect Mutually
One way to test if the algorithm is likely showing you to them as well is to go ahead and send a friend request yourself. If they soon after accept it, there’s a good chance they were already considering connecting because you appeared in their recommendations.
What to Do If You Get a One-Sided Suggestion
When you get a friend recommendation that appeals to you but it does not appear to be reciprocal, you have a few options:
Send a Request
If you want to connect with the person, go ahead and send a friend request yourself. As mentioned above, if they accept soon after, they likely already got you as a suggestion too.
Wait and See
Give it some time to see if that person organically gets you as a recommendation later. If you start noticing mutual friends liking their posts or new connections between you, they may get you suggested soon.
Ignore It
If it’s someone you’re not interested in connecting with, you’re free to simply ignore the one-sided recommendation. Facebook will continue refining its suggestions based on your activity, so their appearance doesn’t require any action.
Other Ways to Connect With People on Facebook
While friend suggestions provide one way to discover new connections, you have a few other options for finding people you may want to connect with that don’t rely on the algorithm alone:
Search for Specific People
Use Facebook’s search bar to look up people you already know or want to find but who haven’t appeared as a suggestion yet. You can search by name, school, hometown, workplace, and more.
Join Groups
Become active in Facebook groups centered around your interests or affiliations. You will be able to see and connect with other engaged members.
Interact on Pages
Commenting on and liking popular Facebook pages that align with your hobbies can expose you to new people with similar tastes.
Check Out Events
Browse upcoming events near you that you’re interested in and see who else is planning to attend. Reaching out may lead to new friendships.
While friend suggestions provide a useful starting point, actively expanding your network in other ways allows you more control over who you connect with.
Limits to Friend Suggestions
While Facebook’s friend recommendation algorithm can be helpful for finding new connections, it’s important to keep its limitations in mind as well:
- Suggestions may reinforce existing biases if your network is not diverse.
- The algorithm can prioritize engagements over real relationships.
- There may be great potential friends you have things in common with who do not get shown.
- Suggestions can seem intrusive or make false assumptions in some cases.
Evaluating friend recommendations critically and being proactive about searching for connections outside of what the algorithm feeds you can lead to more meaningful social encounters.
Conclusion
When you receive a friend suggestion on Facebook, it is based on your individual activity and connections rather than being a reciprocal notification shared with that person. The platform’s algorithm aims to show you relevant potential friends without revealing unnecessary information about you to others. Whilereciprocal suggestions can happen organically down the line, initial recommendations are one-sided. If you want to connect with someone suggested to you, the ideal approach is to take initiative yourself in sending a friend request or interacting on public content. Facebook friend suggestions can facilitate discovering new connections, but actively expanding your own network ultimately gives you more control.