I recently found out that people can follow you on Facebook, even if they’re not on your friends list. I’d like to know how I can see a list of my followers to understand who’s keeping up with me. Any advice or steps to find out would be greatly appreciated.
Oh, the irony of social media—you think you’ve set up a cozy little space to share memes and dog pics with your friends, but in reality, strangers are lurking, following you like it’s a Netflix drama. Anyway, here’s how you can figure out who’s creepily keeping up with you on Facebook.
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First, check your public posts. If you have stuff set to “Public,” non-friends can see those and potentially follow you without you even realizing it. Heads up: what you post matters, folks.
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Go to your profile. Click on your name/photo on the top right corner. Once you’re on your profile, click on the “Friends” tab. Yup, it’s not just for your actual friends.
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Hit the “More” dropdown. (It’s next to ‘Friends,’ home of all things shady.) Look for ‘Followers’ in the dropdown menu. Boom. There they are: your motley crew of secret admirers, bots, and that one person you met at a networking event who keeps a little too close an eye on your updates.
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Adjust your privacy settings. Feeling uncomfortable now? Go to “Settings & Privacy” > “Privacy” and decide if you really want people who aren’t in your friend list to see your stuff. Because honestly, there’s probably some random dude in another timezone who knows more about your dog than you think.
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Pro tip: Don’t obsess over it. Half the time, these followers are accidental (or bots!) Anyway, snoop responsibly.
So, you wanna know who’s following you on Facebook, huh? Fair. It’s kinda weird that people can follow you even if they’re not your friend. Like, who invited them? Anyway, here’s another angle apart from what @nachtdromer pointed out. They’ve already broken down the practical steps, so I’ll go into the vibes of why this follower situation exists in the first place.
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Followers ≠ Friends: Facebook did this sneaky little thing by turning profiles into something halfway between a personal page and a public figure page. So, if someone doesn’t wanna send the “commitment” of a friend request, they just “follow” and silently stalk all the public stuff YOU mistakenly forgot wasn’t private. Congrats, you have a fan club now.
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Facebook’s Creepy Design: Real talk, the platform LOVES encouraging randoms to follow you for engagement stats. They don’t care it’s just bots or that one ex who never really moved on. This follower stuff? Not even for you—it’s for Zuckerberg’s spreadsheets.
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What You Can Do: Honestly, forget obsessing over the followers list itself—focus on what’s public. You can adjust privacy post-by-post, or just go full hermit mode and lock everything to “Friends Only.” (Under 'Settings & Privacy,’ click 'Privacy Checkup.’ Super easy.) That’s how you keep strangers or bots outta your business.
Oh, and one thing I half-disagree with from @nachtdromer: don’t just chalk all this up to bots. It’s not always bots. Sometimes it’s that random high school classmate who never spoke to you but still “likes” your new haircut updates like they’re your biggest fan. Unnerving? Maybe. Manageable? Absolutely. Just rethink how much of your life you wanna broadcast to the world.
So, here’s the twist to what @boswandelaar and @nachtdromer already shared—they’ve pretty much nailed how to find your followers and secure your Facebook life, but let’s talk strategy and mindset here. Knowing how to view followers is one thing, but why not make this work for you?
1. Flip the Script: Use Followers Wisely
Instead of dread, think of your followers as an opportunity. If you’re showcasing work, hobbies, or you secretly aspire to be a local meme legend, those followers could be boosting your visibility. Use Facebook Professional Mode (if you enable it) to turn your profile into a mini creator page and get insights into who’s watching. Pros: Great for personal brand building. Cons: Prepare to lose most of your privacy.
2. Audit Your Content
This might be brutal, but scroll through your public posts: would you want these strangers or bots reading or learning about your life? Better yet, create lists or restrict certain posts to ‘Close Friends’ (no offense to Uncle Bob). Yes, it’s a headache at first, but it’s worth it.
3. The Anti-FOMO Approach
Not to be a contrarian here, but @nachtdromer’s advice about not obsessing over the list? Meh, sometimes it’s okay to snoop on your followers if it eases paranoia or you’re curious. I just recommend periodic checks rather than daily stalker-level scrolling. Keep life balanced.
4. Cons: Facebook’s Privacy Maze
Let’s face it—Facebook thrives on engagement, aka you overthinking how random strangers end up following you. The real issue here isn’t your followers; it’s Facebook’s very nature of favoring public interaction over personal privacy. Changing this isn’t on you, sadly.
Competitors?
Compared to, say, Instagram or TikTok (both more follower-heavy platforms), Facebook’s follower system feels sneakier because it’s not as in-your-face. At least IG gives you clear opt-ins with stories, close friends, etc. So if privacy matters more and you’re ditching Facebook, you might wanna explore something less confusing.
Final pro tip: Turn off “Allow People to Follow You” in your settings altogether if followers feel creepy. Simplify your FB life, and only let friends in.