Undoubtedly, Facebook has had the highest number of users since its inception in 2004 till now.
The platform has 2.89 billion monthly active users and is primarily known for its unparalleled reach and scope.
The social network site started as an online community for connecting with other students and evolved with more features for users’ maximum enjoyment.
One issue with the updated Facebook features is the inability to differentiate between similar elements.
For example, many users often ask what the difference between friends and followers is. So, what is it?
The difference between friends and followers is how much access people have to your profile and content. A Facebook friendship is a two-way relationship. When you accept to be someone’s friend, you see each other’s posts. However, the following is a one-way relationship. You see content from the person you follow, but they don’t see yours.
Knowing the difference between followers and friends on Facebook can help you control people who have access to your timeline and reach a wider audience.
Also, there are other ways to follow a Facebook profile or page beside the usual way.
We’ll cover all these in the following paragraphs, so you can know when to become someone’s friend or a follower. Continue reading this article to learn more.
Friends and Followers on Facebook
Facebook friends and followers are a bit different from each other; we’ll discuss it below.
Meaning of Being a Friend on Facebook
To begin with, being friends with others is the foundation upon which Facebook was built. Now, it allows users to open a personal profile or page for businesses, brands, and organizations.
The traditional method of connecting with others involves sending a friend request to someone. When this person accepts your friend request, you become friends.
That means you can see each other’s content, reels, comments, and likes in your field. Friends become your followers by default.
Meanwhile, friendship does not give you unlimited access to everything on your friend’s profile. You can categorize your friends into different lists and set different privacy settings for each list.
Meaning of Being a Follower on Facebook
When you follow a profile or page, you may see its content in your news feed. Also, if you like a page, you will become a follower automatically. Facebook verifies some pages and prominent figures like celebrities with large followers.
The verification is usually indicated by a blue badge next to their name. It helps you confirm they are genuinely who they claim to be. You can also become a follower by following someone on Facebook Marketplace.
How To Follow a Profile on Facebook?
Follow these steps:
- Open Facebook on your mobile device.
- Tap the search icon at the top.
- Type the name of the person and pick them from the list.
- Tap on the three dots beneath their profile picture.
- Tap on “Follow.”
How To Follow a Facebook Page?
Follow these steps:
- Open Facebook on your mobile device.
- Tap on the search icon in the top right corner.
- Enter the page’s name.
- Choose the right one from the result.
- Select “Follow.”
How To Follow Someone on Facebook Marketplace?
Follow these steps:
- Open Facebook on your mobile device.
- Tap on the menu tab in the right corner.
- Select “Marketplace,” indicated by a house image. If you can’t see this icon, tap “See more.”
- Find a listing from the person you want to follow.
- Scroll down to the seller’s name and tap it.
- Tap on the “Follow” button.
How Does Follow Differ From Friend Request?
If you implement the Follow feature on your page, people who follow you can see or like your posts without you following them. For example, If John wants to see Ryan’s posts, he can follow Ryan.
In that case, John will see Ryan’s content, but Ryan won’t see John’s content besides the comments and likes he leaves on Ryan’s posts. If Ryan decides to see John’s posts, he can then follow him.
Unlike a Friend Request that must be approved, Follows happens immediately. When someone follows another, the other person doesn’t need to approve it.
Meanwhile, following a page or person doesn’t mean you will be subjected to all their content.
Thanks to Facebook Edgerank, you only see the most interesting posts from the pages or the profile you follow. This is determined by the level of engagement – the number of comments and likes.
You can prevent people from following your page in your public post settings. You can find this feature under “Who Can Follow Me.”
Also, you can set the level of interaction by the public within your posts. For example, you can choose who (Public, Friends of Friends, or Friends) can comment on your posts.
In essence, being a follower is a one-sided relationship without the expectation of reciprocation. You follow someone because you enjoy the updates and don’t expect them to follow you back.
If you set your account to public and allow followers, friend requests you reject or ignore become followers by default. Unless you block them, they will see your pictures, videos, reels, and stories.
Conclusion
Like many social media platforms, Facebook allows people to connect online and in the real world.
You can do this by becoming a friend with a user or a follower.
Each of these features has its role and advantage.
While being a friend allows you more access, often personal, to a page, being a follower only enables you to see a user’s content without the user following you or being your friend.
The follower feature also allows your posts to reach more people.
Knowing these differences helps you use Facebook more effectively.
