You saw this person on your “People You May Know” section on Facebook a couple of days ago. You wanted to check their profile but didn’t have the time. When you scrolled down to the section again, you couldn’t find them anymore. Now, you’re curious. Why does a person disappear from people you may know on Facebook?
Does that sound familiar? If yes, I string suggest you read till the end.
Why Does a Person Disappear From People You May Know on Facebook?
There can be a number of reasons why you suddenly find people’s names disappearing from the “You May Know” list on Facebook. While the most common factor is significant alternation in your FB activity, things like temporary account deletion can also affect the list. Whatever might be the reason, what important is finding a way out and luckily there are a few workarounds.
Let’s begin our journey uncovering what the “People You Mane Know section on Facebook is all about.
What Is People You May Know on Facebook?
The People You May Know, as the name suggests, is a feature on Facebook that bags the list of people who, well, you may know. Facebook’s algorithm uses your email, phone number, and your Facebook friend list to determine people who may be close to you.
These could be people who you have met in real life or have a strong connection with digitally. A person who has at least 50 mutual friends with you on Facebook is likely to show up at the top of the People You May Know list.
You might see people you follow on Instagram show up on the list due to Facebook’s connection with Instagram. If you are part of any group or liked a page on Facebook, people with similar interests show up.
You will also find people from your school and college days. Facebook’s algorithm notes you went to the same place for education and had likely run into each other in real life. Or you know enough people who have met them in real to warrant getting to know each other on Facebook.
At one point, there was a rumor that the “People You May Know” feature on Facebook shows people who recently stalked your account. This is unconfirmed. Facebook hasn’t released any solid data on how they rank the accounts in the section.
It’s a possibility, though. Mostly because the algorithm probably detects a person’s interest in your account and mistakes it for knowing them personally.
Why Does a Person Disappear From People You May Know on Facebook? [ Detailed Answer]
You’re now well aware of what is People You May Know on Facebook? This brings us to addressing other vital questions like, Why does a person disappear from people you may know on Facebook?
After all, if you know them, they should stay there, right?
There are two likely reasons for this occurrence.
Reason 1: Changes in Your Life
When you were in school, the accounts that appeared on the People You May Know section were your school friends, seniors, and juniors. Some school teachers might show up too.
You graduated. Changed the education section on your About page to the name of the new college. You added a couple of friends from college, some sophomores and seniors.
The algorithm knows your interest in life has changed. As a result, they will show you people from your university, professors, and even people from local events.
Your school recommendations would be pushed back until they disappear.
If you comment or like posts from people in your school often enough, the algorithm would start showing you people from school more instead of college.
Other changes that may affect the algorithm:
- Both or one of you have unliked a mutual page.
- Both or one of you has left a mutual group.
- You have removed a location from your profile they were part of.
Reason 2: Deleted or Suspended Account
This is rarely the case. Sometimes though, a person who used to show up on “People You May Know” on Facebook might have deleted their account.
If they are no longer part of Facebook, the algorithm won’t feel any need to show you their profile.
The same applies to a suspended profile.
A profile on Facebook is only suspended when the person has violated Facebook’s terms of use.
This could also occur if the mutual friends between you two have somehow deleted their Facebook profiles.
Another possibility is that the person blocked you.
Reason 3: You Deleted Their Number
A huge source of information for Facebook on your supposed friends comes from your contact. If you deleted the number of the person from your phone’s address book, you wouldn’t see them on People You May Know again.
This can happen if you delete their email from your contact book on Gmail or yahoo mail too.
What to Do When People Start Disappearing From the You May Know List?
Here are a few things that can possibly help get your list back:
Solution 1: Refreshing the List
Facebook is constantly updating the People You May Know list.
Any changes in your Facebook profile can promote or demote people from the top of the People You May Know position.
So, for people who you think may have disappeared from the list, they may have not. Instead, they have been pushed to the bottom of the list.
The section you see on Facebook is only a short version of the list. The entire list is actually under the Friends tab.
To see the entire list on PC:
- Open Facebook.
- Click on the Friends tab at the left.
- Under the Friend Requests, you will see Suggested Friends.
- Depending on your version, you will either see a right-facing arrow or a See more.
- Click on either.
- You will see all the profiles Facebook thinks you have some connections to at the moment.
To see the entire list on the phone:
- Open the Facebook app.
- At the top, there will be a two-person icon. That’s the Friends tab.
- Tap on it. Your Friends Request will appear.
- Tap on the tiny Suggestions at the top of the list.
- You will find the People You May Know section.
- Scroll down.
- The page will expand to show the full list.
If you haven’t checked out your Friends Requests for some time, the People You May Know section could be under Notifications instead.
Another way to find the Friends tab is to tap on the Menu icon at the top right corner. You will find a two-person icon with friends written underneath.
While it is a big list, there are people who might have permanently disappeared from your list. It’s because all your recent activity hints you have no strong connection with them anymore.
Solution 2: Turn Off the People You May Know Feature
When you are scrolling down the news feed and see the “People You May Know” section, it’s not as annoying.
However, sometimes, Facebook gives us notifications and emails with the same list of people. That can be annoying.
Particularly why you want to know how to turn off the “People You May Know” on Facebook.
Let’s take a look at how you can do so on both phone and PC.
On the phone:
- Launch the Facebook app.
- Tap on the Menu icon at the top right.
- Scroll down to Setting & Privacy.
- Tap on Settings.
- Look for Notifications under Preferences.
- You will find People you may know under it.
- Tap on it. Then, toggle off the Allow notifications on Facebook.
On PC:
- Go to Facebook.
- Click on the triangle icon under your profile picture.
- Click on Setting & Privacy.
- Select Notifications on the left.
- Scroll until you find People You May Know.
- Turn the toggle off on Allow notifications on Facebook.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Why Does a Person Disappear From People You May Know On Facebook
1. Is People You May know on Facebook people who visit your profile?
Officially, Facebook claims the People You May Know section does not show people who might be browsing through your profile. However, if we take into account how the algorithm works, it seems likely that some of the people are those who are stalking you.
Our real-life experience would also suggest so. How often do you see someone on People You May Know who has no connection to you whatsoever? A good chance is that you applied for a job, and it was HR personnel viewing your profile. As a result, they showed up in the section.
2. Can you see who viewed your profile?
No, Facebook doesn’t allow us to see who viewed our profile. The closest you get to it is the People You May Know section.
Of course, this is an unproven theory. According to Facebook, the people who show up there are those with who you have some sort of connection to on Facebook via friends or contacts.
3. Why do users disappear and reappear on Facebook suggestions?
Users disappear and reappear on Facebook because our connections to these users may go up and down. A person with high activity on Facebook might also show up more regularly.
Why Does a Person Disappear From People You May Know on Facebook: Solutions
Now, you know why does a person disappear from People You May Know on Facebook. If there’s a profile you wanted to see and it vanished, it might not reappear for some time.
Additionally, you know how to turn off the People You May Know feature now. Hopefully, you won’t see people you don’t like on suggested anymore.
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