Having announced a dating service within its application earlier, Facebook has now added a feature called “secret crushes”. This feature lets you know if someone in your friends’ circle has a crush on you. This is an ad-free feature and will be part of the Facebook Dating service.
It appears Facebook is keen to take on pureplay dating platforms, like Tinder and Hinge. If it does turn out that someone has an interest in you beyond just friendship, both will be sent a notification. The secret crushes feature permits up to 9 people to post their liking for a person. Only those above 18 years can be part of this feature and Facebook has said it will be kept free of any advertisements.
There is no doubt that this is yet another attempt by Facebook to retain its membership base and if possible, expand it further through this new feature. It is an easy way to attract the young to its platform, building on their curiosity to know who likes them and who doesn’t. Expressing it openly can sometimes be embarrassing. This new feature therefore may spread quickly. There is a provision within Facebook Dating to recommend a partner for you if it is found that the tastes of two individuals within a group are alike.
But at present, Facebook is making this facility availability only in 19 geographies. These are Paraguay, Colombia, Canada, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, Vietnam, Guyana, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Uruguay, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, and Suriname. You may be surprised to see that neither the US nor the UK figure in this list. Even India is not included. Facebook may want to run the feature in these countries and based on the experience, extend to the other territories also in the near future. Indications are that it might happen close to the end of the year or in the fourth quarter.