Why we make friends with our enemies on Facebook: Two thirds of us add people we don't like just so we can snoop on their lives

More than 2,570 U.S. Facebook users aged over 18 took part in the poll



The average number of total Facebook friends across the group was 671

When asked how many contacts were true friends, the average was 18

The main reason for keeping people on Facebook was to be nosy

Other reasons included that they were a family member, work colleague, or they would cause a scene if deleted



If you're a Facebook user, chances are there are one or two people in your friends’ list that you wouldn’t want to spend time with in real life.

And a poll has discovered that the reason we keep these so-called ‘famicable’ friends on the site is purely so we can snoop on what they’re up to.

The survey found that 68 per cent of users have Facebook friends they don’t like - and almost half would actively avoid these people in the street.

The poll was carried out by New York-based CouponCodesPro. Of 2,570 U.S. users surveyed, 68% said they are friends with people on Facebook they don't like, and the top reason was because they wanted to snoop on what the other persons was up to

But the group admitted they didn’t want to unfriend them because they wouldn’t be able to be nosey.

REASONS FOR KEEPING FRIENDS When asked why users refuse to delete Facebook friends they don't like, the following reasons were: 1. I like to see what they’re up to - 69 per cent 2. They’re family, or a loved one’s family member - 57 per cent 3. They’re a colleague or former colleague that I need to stay in contact with - 54 per cent 4. They’d cause a scene if I deleted them as a friend - 50 per cent 5. Having them as a friend lets me see what others are doing, for example my children - 31 per cent



Other reasons included that the person was a family member, work colleague, or the ‘friend’ would cause a scene if they were deleted.



More than 2,570 American adults who regularly use social media took part in the poll, which quizzed them about how they used their social media accounts.

All respondents in the Money saving site CouponCodesPro survey were asked to reveal how many Facebook friends they had at the time of the poll, and the average was 671.

When asked how many contacts on the site they would consider to be true friends, respondents said an average of just 18 - not even 3 per cent of their entire friends list.

All respondents were then asked to elaborate, and when asked ‘Are you friends with anyone on social media that you dislike but are falsely amicable with online?’, more than two thirds (68 per cent) said yes.

When respondents were asked 'Would you go out of your way to avoid the Facebook friends you dislike in real life?' (stock image pictured) almost half said yes. And when asked roughly how many Facebook friends they had that met this criteria, the average response was 19

Poll Do you add people you don't like as Facebook friends? Yes No Do you add people you don't like as Facebook friends? Yes 601 votes

No 3385 votes Now share your opinion





When the relevant respondents were asked ‘Would you go out of your way to avoid the Facebook friends you dislike in real life?’ almost half said yes.

And when asked roughly how many Facebook friends they had that met this criteria, the average was 19.

According to the poll, 20 per cent of Facebook users have also taken part in an argument on the site, and almost half said the reason was due to a vague status they thought was aimed at them.

George Charles, spokesperson for CouponCodesPro.com, said: ‘The results of this study are interesting; just the fact alone that so many of us are friends with people on Facebook that we don’t really like and would go out of our way to avoid.

‘As a society, we share so much personal information on social media and there’s an increasingly overwhelming need to stay up-to-date with what everyone is up to in their lives, whether they’re our friends or not.