Controlling the visibility of one’s connections list on the Facebook platform is a privacy setting that allows users to manage who can see the total number of friends they have. For example, a user might choose to make their friend list visible only to themselves, preventing others from knowing the size of their network.
Limiting the public availability of this information can reduce potential social comparison or judgment based on network size. Historically, the default setting on social media platforms was often to display this data publicly. Over time, user demand for increased privacy has led to the introduction of controls that allow individuals to curate their online presence more selectively.