One of the joys of Facebook is that you can find out what people are up to without having to engage in real-life potentially uncomfortable conversation. That sounds terribly antisocial, I know, but sometimes it’s impossible to catch up with people from your past due to time constraints or geographical logistics but you still wanna know what they named their kids.
I’m sure we can all admit to having a bit of a Facebook stalk or steaky beak – an ex-boyfriend or an old friend perhaps – without actually wanting to become Facebook friends with that person.
Over the weekend Facebook did a really bad thing and sent automatic Friend Requests to any profile you may have viewed. For example, if you happened to notice a mean girl from your high school pop up on your “People You May Know” and then you clicked on it just to see if she still looked like a super bitch, you may have actually tried to add her as a friend. #Awks.
“As someone with a severe nosiness problem this Facebook auto friend request glitch is very spooky and uncool with me,” one user wrote on Twitter.
Of course, this didn’t happen to every single person who did a bit of Facebook stalking this weekend, but it’s worth having a look at your recent Friends Requests to see who’s on there.
Add Friend? No? Too Late
Facebook’s parent company, Meta, acknowledged the error, explaining that it was a ‘bug’ that caused the glitch. They have since said the issue is resolved.
“We fixed a bug related to a recent app update that caused some Facebook friend requests to be sent mistakenly,” a Meta spokesperson told United States news outlet The Daily Beast.
“We’ve stopped this from happening and we apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused.”
How to check if you’ve mistakingly sent Facebook Friends’ Requests
On a computer:
- When using Facebook on a computer, click ‘Friends’ on the left-hand panel on your homepage
- Click ‘Friend requests’
- Then, click ‘view sent requests’
You can also quickly cancel any Friend Requests this way.
If you received a fair few random Friend Requests recently, then this could mean you’re actually really popular on Facebook with plenty of creepers checking out what you’re up to. Own it.
Social media can be a great thing – I use Facebook all the time to talk to relatives overseas, see what events are coming up in my area and chat with groups of people.
Join us on Facebook!
If you are on Facebook, we would love for you to join our Facebook groups. The Mum Central Facebook Groups are closed Facebook communities, designed to help you connect to other mums with kids of similar ages.
We have five mum Facebook groups:
- Pregnancy Mums Australia – If you’re expecting, this is the place to be. Filled with like-minded mums-to-be, it’s a safe place for honest chat, good advice and shared experiences.
- Baby and Toddler Mums Australia – A safe and nurturing place to connect with others who are dealing with exactly what you are, right now! From sleepless nights to endless love, spilt milk to starting solids and toilet training – we’ve got you! Hosting endless chats centred around newborns to toddlers, this is your instant online mother’s group and e-support network!
- School Mums Australia – Your one-stop location to talk about all things school – from starting reception to finishing your HSC – will be your go-to group for all things in between!
- Mums of Teens & Tweens Australia – For mums facing the ‘challenges’ of the tween and teen phase.
