Besides friending people, Facebook users are also able to follow or get a following on the platform.
While Facebook allows you to accept friends into your friends list, followers will not necessarily need your approval to follow you, they can follow you even without your knowledge.
You might be wondering about your Facebook followers, this article talks just about that.
Read on to learn if you can follow someone without their knowledge on Facebook, how to check out who is following you and how to unfollow someone if you are not interested in them.
For a glance;
By default, facebook users who follow you will be added to a followers list which you can check out.
However, Facebook allows users to change settings and follow you without showing up on the list – these are hidden followers.
There is no straightforward way to see hidden followers on Facebook, but you can see who follows you by checking your followers list. This is what is explored in this article.
Can someone follow you secretly on Facebook?
Facebook allows users to follow other users without necessarily being in the friends list.
This means that people can follow you on Facebook without your consent or knowledge – if you have not bothered to check.
Facebook by default provides a list where you can see who has followed you as well as who your friends are.
However, since Facebook gives users control over the visibility of their friends’ lists and followers, someone can choose to follow you in a way that is not publicly seen.
This means that their name will not show up in your followers’ list, and you will not receive a notification of their following.
In addition, Facebook does not automatically notify you when someone follows you, so they may be on your list without your knowledge.
However, this can be changed in the settings.
So, yes, someone can follow you secretly on Facebook if they choose to, and adjust certain settings.
Users may have varied reasons for deciding to be hidden followers including;
Privacy; someone may choose to keep certain activities on Facebook private or to a few members.
These activities may include who they follow, or even who they are friends with on Facebook. So, privacy could simply be one reason a user chooses to hide their following activities.
Stalking/tracking; some people may follow you privately to collect information about you, or track your activities without your knowledge.
Admirers; a hidden follower may be your admirer; someone who maybe adores you and would like to study your behavior or business style.
These could turn into business partners or even social friends.
“Hidden followers” on Facebook may refer to any user who follows your profile without publicly showing up in your list of followers.
This can be done by adjusting Settings, a choice that a user takes for privacy reasons.
Hidden followers have most likely made their activities invisible by restricting their following visibility to themselves, or a custom-made list.
Hidden followers may also just be Facebook users who follow you but are not your Facebook friends, though these show up when you check your Followers’ list.
Because of respect for privacy, Facebook does not provide an inbuilt way to reveal who is following you privately.
However, you have ways of checking out who is following you and has shown in your followers list.
Here is how to see your followers on Facebook if you are using the web version or the app version.
How to see followers on the Facebook web version
To see who follows you on Facebook using the web version;
- Go to the Facebook page through your browser and log into Facebook with your details
- On the home page, click on your name. This should lead you to your profile page
- On the profile page, you can click on the Friends tab
- Next, you can click on the Followers tab, this should reveal a list of all the people who follow you on the Facebook platform.
How to see followers on the Facebook app
To see who is following you on the Facebook app;
- Open Facebook on your mobile device
- Tap on your profile picture at the bottom right corner then tap your name (profile)
- On your profile page, tap on See your About info, scroll down to find the Followers section with your followers list, and tap See all to see the full list.
Well, now you can check and see who has been following you with or without your knowledge.
How to unfollow someone on Facebook
So, there’s this individual you follow or are friends with but you are tired of seeing their posts yet you don’t want to unfriend them, you can simply unfollow them.
Here is how to go about it:
Open your Facebook page in your web browser or mobile app and you can
Either:
Find the person you would like to unfollow and go to their profile page; tap on the Friends button and from the dropdown select the Unfollow option.
Or:
Check through your Facebook feed and find a post by that person, tap the 3 dots and select Unfollow (name).
Note that unfollowing a person does not put an end to your Facebook friendship. The person will still be your friend and will be able to interact with you as a friend unless you unfriend them.
Unfollowing a user will only remove them from your following list, stopping posts from appearing in your feed.
FAQ
Why can’t I see another user’s followers?
Facebook does not provide a direct feature for users to see a complete list of another user’s followers.
Users can control their privacy settings, and in many cases, followers’ lists are not publicly visible.
While you can see the total number of followers a user has, the actual list is typically not accessible to others. This design is to respect the privacy choices of individual users.
How can I see who viewed my profile on Facebook?
Because Facebook prioritizes privacy, it does not provide tracking for profile visitors.
Visiting someone’s profile on Facebook is considered a private activity that Facebook does not notify you about or offer in-built features for tracking.
But, you can tell who visited your profile if they left a like or a comment on any of your profile activities.
How can I allow or restrict people from following me on Facebook?
Facebook allows users in your friends list to follow you if they want to.
However, other people can also follow you on Facebook even if they are not your friends.
If you want to limit who follows you on Facebook, follow these steps:
Open Facebook on the web or mobile app;
Click on the profile picture in the top right corner (bottom right corner on mobile app) then go to Settings and Privacy> Settings.
Under Audience and Visibility, select Followers and public content then under Who can follow me select Friends to limit your followers.
If you set it to Friends then only people you have accepted in your friends list will be able to follow you.
Conclusion
The Facebook platform offers a variety of features for user’s enjoyment, communication, and privacy.
As you enjoy these features on Facebook, it is important to respect other people’s privacy preferences and decisions.
Choosing to follow is a decision that a user makes and Facebook by default may not inform you, though there is a way to know who is following you when you check the followers’ list.
However, some users may choose not to reveal that they are following you, and this is a decision you should respect, for their good but also your good and smooth enjoyment.
I hope you enjoy Facebook responsibly and consciously.
