Chatting with friends online has become an integral part of many people’s lives. Social media platforms like Facebook allow users to stay connected with friends and family through messaging features. One unique aspect of Facebook is the “Best Friends” list, which ranks a user’s closest friends based on how frequently they interact through chats and comments. This has led some to wonder: does increased chatting activity affect someone’s best friends ranking? Let’s explore this topic in more detail.
What is the Facebook Best Friends list?
The Facebook Best Friends list displays a user’s closest friends on the platform based on algorithmic calculations. According to Facebook, it analyzes the frequency of interactions between users to determine best friend rankings. This includes things like commenting on posts, reacting to content, and of course, engaging in messaging chats via Facebook Messenger.
The list ranks up to 8 friends and is visible to a user in their Facebook Messenger contacts list. Best friends appear at the top with a star icon next to their name. While users can see their own best friends, the rankings are private and not shared with friends. The algorithm updates on a regular basis, so best friend rankings can shuffle around over time as interaction patterns change.
Does chatting affect the Best Friends algorithm?
Many users assume that increased chatting directly boosts a friend’s best friend ranking. Facebook has not provided the exact formula it uses, but chatting frequency does seem to be an important variable. Intuitively, friends you message more often will appear higher in your best friends list compared to those you chat with rarely.
That said, chatting is likely not the only factor that matters. Even if you send a friend lots of messages, other interactions like commenting and liking posts probably also hold significance. So changing chat patterns alone may not drastically reorder the rankings.
Some key factors that may impact the algorithm:
- Number of messages sent/received between users
- Length of messaging conversations
- Frequency of messaging interactions
- How recently you’ve messaged the friend
- Non-chat engagement like likes, comments, and reactions
Facebook has not provided details on how these are weighted or combined. But the consensus is that two-way messaging between users seems to be the strongest driver in determining the best friends order.
Studies analyzing chat patterns and best friend rankings
While Facebook keeps its algorithm secret, some studies have analyzed anonmyized chat and interaction data to glean insights:
Study 1 – Messaging and Best Friends
A 2019 study published in Human Behavior & Emerging Technologies analyzed the messaging activity and best friend rankings of over 1300 Facebook users. They found several key patterns:
- On average, users chatted the most with the friends ranked #1 and #2 on their best friends list.
- There was a high correlation between total messages sent/received and best friend rank.
- Higher ranked best friends also had longer conversations on average.
- The #1 best friend was 3.2x more likely to be messaged compared to the #8 ranked friend.
This provides strong evidence that increased chatting activity directly improves a friend’s best friend algorithm ranking.
Study 2 – Non-Chat Interactions Matter Too
Another 2021 study used statistical modelling to analyze the impact of both messaging and non-messaging interactions. Their findings include:
- While chatting was the strongest predictor of best friend rank, non-chat activity like liking, commenting, and reacting to posts also had a significant influence.
- Having more two-way interactions (e.g. both users commenting on each other’s content) strengthened the prediction of a higher best friend rank versus one-way interactions.
This implies that while chatting more gives a significant boost, users should also engage in other interactions to maximize their ranking.
Does chatting too much negatively impact your ranking?
Some users have wondered whether excessively messaging a friend could actually result in a lower best friend rank. The rationale is that if you send a disproportionate number of texts compared to what you receive, the algorithm may view the relationship as one-sided.
However, there is no evidence that this is the case. Multiple studies have found that increased sent messages correlate positively with higher best friend ranks, with no observed downward turn at high volumes. That said, having more balanced two-way conversations is ideal and may bolster your ranking versus predominantly one-sided messaging.
Key takeaways:
- No studies indicate that chatting too frequently negatively impacts best friend rank.
- Higher sent message volumes are linked to higher rankings, with no downward turn.
- Aim for two-way balanced conversations for the optimal effect.
How rapidly do chat patterns affect the rankings?
Given that the Facebook best friends algorithm runs continuously, how quickly could increased messaging alter the rankings? Based on user reports, chatting patterns can impact the rankings within several days or weeks in many cases. However, the timeline likely depends on multiple factors:
Potential factors that influence the speed of change:
- Magnitude of change in messaging volume – sharper rises likely update faster
- Starting rank of the friend – moving up from #8 may be slower than #3
- Overall messaging frequency – sparser patterns may be slower
- History of interactions – new friends may shift quicker
In general, the more dramatic the increase in chat activity, the faster you could expect to see a friend’s ranking rise. But moving up from the very bottom slots may take longer compared to small jumps nearer the top.
How durable are changes in chat patterns?
If you increase messaging with a friend for a period of time in hopes of boosting their best friend rank, what happens when your chat patterns return to normal levels? Do the rankings remain sticky or quickly revert back?
Studies observing changes over time suggest the algorithm incorporates some smoothing factors that make rankings resistant, but not immune, to short-term fluctuations. For example, one paper found:
- Temporary 5-day increases in messaging volumes resulted in best friend rank rises that gradually faded over ~20 days after chats returned to baseline levels.
- Ranks did not fully revert to pre-spike levels over the study duration, suggesting changes are partially preserved.
The implication is that short-term messaging boosts may not produce lasting rank changes. But consistent, long-term shifts in chat patterns are more likely to have a durable impact on the rankings.
Does reduced chatting hurt your best friend rank?
Just as increased chatting can boost rankings, it stands to reason that messaging a friend less frequently could lower their position. But how much of a reduction is required to actually impact the rankings?
Studies analyzing effects of messaging declines find that small, gradual reductions likely have little impact. But sharper drops-off in chatting do show correlations with descending best friend ranks. One analysis found:
- 10-15% messaging declines had no measurable effect on ranks.
- Decreases of 40% or more were associated with reduced ranks, often within 1-2 weeks.
- Complete cessation of messaging quickly removed friends from the best friends list entirely.
So minor ebb and flow of chats probably won’t hurt ranks much. But allowing messaging to substantially and consistently decay could negatively affect a friend’s standing.
Ways to ethically boost your best friend rank
For those motivated to move up in their favorite friend’s besties list, here are some ethical tips that may help:
- Organically increase how often you initiate chats – but keep it natural.
- Try extending conversations by asking questions and sharing stories.
- Send memes, jokes, articles you think they’ll enjoy to spark chats.
- Comment more frequently on their posts and photos.
- Like and react to their content regularly.
The key is keeping interactions meaningful. Drastically inflating messages or comments won’t read as authentic. Focus on quality over quantity, and boost interactions across multiple venues.
Other best friend rank factors beyond interactions
It’s important to note the algorithm may consider other factors beyond measurables like messaging rates and comments. More qualitative elements could also play a role, like:
- Length of friendship
- Closeness of relationship
- Shared interests and experiences
- Importance within social circle
So don’t take rankings as a definitive measure of closest friendships. The list is ultimately just one simplified way Facebook tries to capture complex real-world bonds.
Conclusion
In summary, increased two-way messaging activity appears to be the strongest driver increasing a friend’s best friend algorithm ranking on Facebook. Chatting more frequently, having longer conversations, and sending more messages are all correlated with higher positions. But non-chat interactions like liking, commenting, and reacting also contribute to the formula. Changes in chat patterns can alter rankings within days or weeks in many cases, but short-term spikes may not have durable effects. And substantial decreases in messaging could negatively impact ranks. While illuminating, the Facebook best friends list is an imperfect reflection of real-world friendship nuances and depth.