“Following” is a prominent feature on social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter.
On Instagram, following someone will display the person’s posts and stories on your feed.
Similarly, following someone on Twitter will display the person’s tweets, retweets, and replies on your feed.
By following someone on a social media platform, it makes it easy for you to stay updated on the person’s day-to-day life.
It also prevents you from searching for the person’s profile each time you want to see their posts.
But is the “Following” feature on Facebook similar to the one on Instagram and Twitter?
In this article, you’ll learn what does “Following” mean on Facebook, how to follow someone and more.
- What does “Following” mean on Facebook?
- How to follow someone on Facebook
- What is the difference between friends and followers on Facebook?
- Do people know if you follow them on Facebook?
What does “Following” mean on Facebook?
“Following” on Facebook means that you’ll see the person’s or page’s updates on your news feed.
For example, if someone that you follow posts a picture on their feed, you’ll be able to see it on your news feed.
Following = You’ll see the person’s/page’s updates (e.g. posts) on your news feed.
Whenever you’re friends with someone, you’ll automatically follow them.
This means that you’ll see all of your friends’ updates on your news feed unless you unfollow them.
If you unfollow your friend, their posts will not be displayed on your news feed.
However, you will still remain friends, and you can choose to follow them again at any time.
You can also follow a page that you’re interested in to get updates on it.
When you follow a page, their latest posts will be displayed on your news feed as well.
How to follow someone on Facebook
To follow someone on Facebook, navigate to the person’s profile and tap on the three dots.
Then, tap on “Follow” to follow them on Facebook.
Keep in mind that you won’t be able to follow people if their “Who Can Follow Me” privacy setting is set to “Friends”.
You can only follow people who set their “Who Can Follow Me” privacy setting to “Public”.
Below is a step-by-step guide on how you can follow someone on Facebook.
Open Facebook > navigate to the person or page that you want to follow > tap on the three dots.
Firstly, open the Facebook mobile app.
You can also use Facebook on a desktop for this, but the user interface will be a little different.
Once you’ve opened the Facebook mobile app, navigate to the person that you want to follow.
You can do so by searching for the person’s name by tapping on the search icon.
Once you’re on the person’s profile, tap on the three dots.
Tap on “Follow” to follow the person or page on Facebook.
After you’ve tapped on the three dots, a navigation drawer will be opened.
On the navigation drawer, you’ll see multiple options including “Follow”, “Save”, “Find support or report Page”, and “Create page”.
If you’re following a person instead of a page, you’ll see the “Follow”, “Find support or report profile”, “Block”, and “Search profile” options instead.
To follow the person or the page, tap on “Follow”.
If you don’t see a “Follow” option, it means that the person has disabled it via their privacy settings.
If that’s the case, the only way that you can follow them is to be their friend on Facebook.
Once you’re following someone, you’ll see their updates on your news feed.
For example, if the person posts a picture, you’ll see the picture on your news feed.
What is the difference between friends and followers on Facebook?
Friends on Facebook means that both you and your friend can see each other’s updates via the news feed.
On the other hand, followers on Facebook mean that only the person who is following you can see your updates on their news feed.
When you’re friends with someone on Facebook, you’ll automatically follow them.
However, if you’re not friends with someone on Facebook, you need to manually follow them to see their updates on your news feed.
If you follow someone, you’ll be able to see the person’s updates on your news feed.
However, the person will not be able to see your updates on their news feed unless they follow you back, or are friends with you.
Do people know if you follow them on Facebook?
No, people will not be able to know if you follow them on Facebook.
However, if you follow a page on Facebook, the owner of the page will be notified of it.
When you follow a page on Facebook, the owner of the page will get a “(person) followed (page’s name)” notification.
You can differentiate between a person against a page by looking at the “Page transparency” section.
If there is a “Page transparency” section, it means that the Facebook profile is a page and not a person.
Conclusion
Following someone on Facebook allows you to see their posts on your news feed without being friends with them.
However, you won’t be able to follow the majority of users on Facebook.
This is because the “Who Can Follow Me” privacy setting is set to “Friends” by default.
You can only follow users who’ve changed their “Who Can Follow Me” privacy setting from “Friends” to “Public”.
If you are unable to follow someone on Facebook but you want to see their posts on their timeline, you need to be friends with them.
Simply send them a friend request and wait for them to accept it.
After the user has accepted your friend request, you’ll be able to see their updates (e.g. posts, stories) on your news feed.
Further Reading
What Does “Other Viewers” Mean on Facebook Story?
