Facebook – A Connected World Through Its People You May Know Algorithm
There is a clear interest on Facebook’s part in connecting you with as many users as possible. Adding each new friend is like adding a new piece of information to your Facebook page. With the constant flow of new information, comes your propensity to keep on checking your Facebook news feed for updates day in and day out throughout the day. Thus, users of Facebook are sent constant reminders to add new friends to their list.
Consequently, Facebook will continue to recommend pages and people you can subscribe to, along with some notifications. It accomplishes this through the People You May Know algorithm. Remember, Facebook wants you to connect with people you do know.
Table of Contents
How to find “People You May Know” Algorithm
People You May Know is one of the most important algorithms on Facebook.
- You can view it by scrolling down your Facebook feed on either the app or the website.
- You can directly access this information by typing “People You May Know” in the search bar.
- You can also go to the Find Friends page to discover more People You May Know as shown in the screenshot below.
What is the “People You May Know” Algorithm?
So what exactly is the People You May Know algorithm? How does it determine which suggestions to include?

- Your mutual friends
- Your common Facebook groups
- Your networks (university, club, job)
- Your phone’s address book
You are highly likely to know people who know your friends or go to the same clubs or groups that you do.
Facebook provides the following tools to help you manage or use the People You May Know feature. The following are available for you to use:
- Modify the privacy settings of your friends’ list
- Allow only certain people to send you friend requests
- Manage the address book on your phone
- Manage those who can look up your Facebook profile
- Disable this feature from your newsfeed
My People You May Know List
- People with whom I share mutual friends ranging from 1 to more than 100.
- People who have been tagged in the same photo with me, even if it was a large group photo and I have only met them once.
- My former colleagues from one of my previous positions a couple of years ago.
- People whom I have had to contact professionally, though they are not my friends.
Final Thoughts: People You May Know Algorithm

Beyond that, it’s all just speculation.
Sources
-
Hunt, Elle. How does Facebook suggest potential friends? Not location data – not now. The Guardian. 29 June 2016. Accessed on 6 December 2021. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jun/29/how-does-facebook-suggest-potential-friends-not-location-data-not-now
-
Facebook Help Page. People you may know. Accessed on 6 December 2021. https://www.facebook.com/help/336320879782850.