Generally, stalking is considered a bad thing. But not when you’re on the internet! That’s a special kind of creepy, one that is more socially acceptable and much less illegal. Urban Dictionary describes Facebook stalking as “A covert method of investigation using facebook.com. Good for discovering a wealth of information about people you don’t actually know.”
As humankind slowly morphs into a comatose blob kept alive by the internet, we become too lazy to do our stalking (or talking) in person. After all, it’s so easy to check out that guy you just met. In most cases, you can know almost everything about someone you just met on the street, assuming they accept your friend request or have a public profile. Is this a good or bad thing?
There are some positives. It helps the dating scene. If you absolutely refuse to date someone with a different political affiliation or need your religious views to match up, those details are usually in the “About” section on a facebook profile. I know when I do my stalking, that’s the second place I go after checking their relationship status. I’m a busy guy, and I can’t afford to waste my time falling for a gal if we’re just going to argue about universal healthcare or heaven and hell down the road. Right?
Well, there’s that. But consider also that you might be a little too picky if you look at facebook profiles like a cable plan. Maybe you opt for the one with 8000 channels and ignore the cute little one that’s best suited to your needs. Facebook isn’t a perfect indicator of character. You might find someone who’s perfect for you on paper, but find later in person that you have zero chemistry. In fact, some of the people you pass over might be quite charming in person, even if it doesn’t show by looking through their likes.
It’s a treacherous field. So you delve deeper, look at every detail and try to see if they fit your mold. Those notes that you have to tag 25 people in? Actually very telling. You get to see them answer some random questions, and get a taste of their personality. It’s almost as good as a real conversation, except they don’t even need to be present! Then there’s music, tv shows, and often times a list of likes 500 long. People have this habit of clicking that thumbs-up button for anything they agree with or think is funny, so they end up with all these pages like “one-million likes to ban bieber from US” or “that awkward moment when you did this or that…” So much information, so little time.
Overall, I think it’s not the best idea. In person conversations are infinitely more valuable and telling in the long run. Don’t believe me? Try facebook stalking yourself, and see how ridiculous you look.
