It is. Really. I never have the word for it but now, I know. It’s fun. Like, stalking is the most unproductive, time-wasting activity that do you no good. But it’s fun.
Of course, people are not really stalking one another (obviously, we all put our lives on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or even Path and reading the updates are not really stalking… Are they?), but to some extent, perhaps we are.
Truth to be told, I often find myself trying to pretend that I don’t know stuff. Example. A colleague of mine went to the office and told the story of him going to a concert yesterday night. Of course, through all the photos and status updates, I have already known this piece of information. But I said instead, “Oh, that’s great! How’s the concert? Is it any good?” and let him talk. Like, dude, seriously, he would have given me the look if I said, “Oh, I know that story already through your Facebook.” Then he would think that I’m a psycho-stalker or something, or that I really like him to the point that I-know-everything-about-your-life-kind-of-thing.
So… Yeah. Stalking. Like, we all do this, right?
Imagine your ex. Or ex-crush. Or just someone who you used to know. Don’t tell me that you have never opened their Facebook pages. Or their Twitter accounts. If you are that obsessed, you may check their page weekly. Or daily. You will know the lives they decide to share on the Internet, and you will feed on it.
Remember that time when your ex moved on first? Sucks, right? It’s avoidable if you can resist the urge of being a stalker.
But stalking is fun. It almost feels like flirting. Almost. Like, you get to know the places where he checks in, the songs they are listening to at the moment, and somehow, you will feel… connected. You’ll fantasise. Thoughts like, “Oh, does he update his status for me to know?” or “Is this song he is listening to at the moment dedicated to me?” Of course, this is a lie made by your brain that your heart wants to believe (heck, he doesn’t even know that you’re stalking him).
At this time, you’ve figured out that I’m talking about the cyberspace stalking and not the real stalking, right? Ehm, just in case.
Another thing that makes stalking fun is the amount of gossip we can derive after. Like, “Oh gosh, that guy just broke up with his girlfriend and now he checks in at a cafe with another girl!” (true story).
Another thing: stalking is fun because we can compare our lives (or at least, our cyber lives) with others. Of course, we’ll be much happier when we seem to be living better, happier lives. But it’s still a two-way sword, which means, we’ll feel devastated when we find out that they are much more successful than us.
Bottom line? Stalking is still fun. And since the information is already there – a couple of clicks away from being accessed, it is legal, too. It’s not that healthy though.
Moderation, my friend, is still the key.
Ps. If you are not a stalker, perhaps you are a stalker-feeder. Like, have you ever thought that by putting your lives on the Net, you are giving a green light on being stalked?
Tee-here. Kirk out.
P.Ps. If you want to stalk me, here are my Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn accounts.
