Here's Why You Want to Look Up Which of Your Friends Like Trump on Facebook
Look up which of your friends like Donald Trump with this easy tool. (Photo: Getty Images)
If you’ve been on Facebook recently, you’ve probably seen it: Friends Who Like Trump is all over newsfeeds.
But if you haven’t seen or heard about it, here’s how it works: Once you’re logged into Facebook, open a new tab and type in friendswholiketrump.com. The site redirects to your Facebook page and lists your friends who have “liked” Donald Trump on Facebook.
While the concept is simple and even kind of silly, it’s causing a social media witch hunt. People are even ditching Facebook friends over it. “I unfriended them. Immediately,” one online commenter wrote of discovering friends who liked Trump. “I tolerated the difference of opinion before, but with the incitement of violence produced by Trump’s bigotry and false patriotism, I can’t, in good conscience, stay ‘friends’ with someone who condones such viciousness,” another said.
Of course, Trump has plenty of political fans, but it’s worth noting that people may have also liked him during his Apprentice days, or even liked him ironically.
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But clinical psychologist Suzana E. Flores, PsyD, author of “Facehooked: How Facebook Affects Our Emotions, Relationships, and Lives,” tells Yahoo Health that liking Trump online can have big implications for people.
“He’s a polarizing figure and he’s also controversial,” she says. “Some people perceive him as a racist figure and people don’t want to be associated with those they believe are racist.”
The political nature also gets people riled up, making them more likely to act swiftly, clinical psychologist John Mayer, PhD, author of “Family Fit: Find Your Balance in Life,” tells Yahoo Health. “When people’s emotions get so heightened with an issue like this, they lose sight of the basic facts behind the positions they are emotional about,” he says.
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Flores likens the phenomenon to “telling on your friends,” but says it simply amplifies information that’s already out there. However, she adds, it may create arguments and even end friendships.
“In the majority of cases, people will be unfriended or blocked on Facebook, and it may change offline friendships as well,” she says. “But just like everything else, people have a choice to their opinion.”
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If you see that a friend likes Trump and it concerns you to the point that it might impact your friendship, Flores recommends having an offline conversation about it to lower the chances of miscommunication.
And if you’re the Trump fan, Flores says you should probably be prepared to hear about it. But, she stresses, “whoever likes him is entitled to their opinion — you just may be confronted about it.”
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