You may not want to admit it, but you creep on social media. From crushes, new friends, or even to exes– no one is safe from it. Plus, it’s never been easier to creep given that people put just about everything online.
When speaking to a prospective date or planning to meet a new friend, you should always peruse their social media before. Who knows what they've omitted from telling you!? Also, don't stick to just what you can see if you're not added friends yet. Add them and see what only their friends can see. That's closer to who they actually are.
Whether you're a proud "Creeper" or embarrassed because you liked something from 52 weeks ago, here are eleven reasons why you should become a Social Media Creeper!
1. Before you meet someone, you need to see who they are.
Of course, this one can be a little difficult. Most people aren't completely honest on their social media pages. They might be different in person; shorter, paler, less articulate, etc. But you can get an idea of what's in store for when you meet.
2. You need to know some vital information first!
Someone's sexual orientation, ethnicity, and religious beliefs should be important information to find out before you meet them. Avoid awkward or even offensive situations by checking these facts beforehand.
3. Conversation Starters!
Nothing is more uncomfortable than a first date/meeting when you're both fishing for conversation topics. A quick browse through their posts and shared articles could show their political alignments, interests, favorite sports teams, vacations spots, etc. A quick once over should give you an idea of your mutual interests and what you can talk about!
4. Make sure they don't act crazy online.
Someone who "airs out their dirty laundry" online is not someone you want to get involved with. What if you do something to make them mad and end up as the subject of their next rant? No, thank you! Also, if they only post pictures from parties/drinking/smoking/etc, you don't want that kind of craziness. All of those things are fine but when your mom adds them on Facebook, do you want her seeing all of that?
5. Creep those pictures. Check their legitimacy.
If they only have a few over-edited pictures that scream Myspace 2008, chances are they aren't who they say they are. If someone seems "too good to be true", they probably are. On the flip side, some people don't take selfies all the time and stay away from photo ops. Use your wits and their friends list to decide!
6. When is their birthday?
Is their birthday coming up soon? How old are they? Age shouldn't be important but it really is. If the gap is too large for you to feel comfortable (5, 8, 10 years, etc) then don't be ashamed to point it out and ask questions. If they're there for the wrong reasons, straightforward questions will weed them out.
7. Do you have mutual friends?
Super important! Is there anyone that you both know that can vouch for the other person; their personality, mannerisms, attitude, etc? Mutual friends can also serve as a buffer on a date/first meeting to help make it less awkward and more comfortable for all parties. If you don't have mutual friends, check out their friends and see who they hang around with. You can tell a lot about a person based off of their friends.
8. “If the only person who posts on their wall is their mother; abort.”
Coming to college is all about finding yourself. If all you can see on their Facebook page is their mother gushing about them, abort mission. Of course everyone can maintain their relationships with their parents but this is more of a "maturity" issue. If they can't seem to break away from that comfort zone, get ready to be pulled into their "momma zone." Like friend-zoning... but worse.
9. If they post themselves doing illegal stuff; run.
Underage drinking and illegal drugs have no place on someone's public social media profile. Of course, it may still go on behind closed doors but someone should know to keep it off their page. Again, would you want your mother to see that? Take the smarter and more responsible road and hit that back button.
10. You need to know about their past relationships. See if they have children, crazy exes, etc.
You can tell just as much about a person by their exes as you can by their friends. If they have crazy, trashy, obnoxious exes then you can pretty much bet that they are going to mirror that. If kids or too many exes might be a deal breaker for you, this is a good way to find out before hand! These are important facts to know! If they cycle through friends/significant others often then that should raise some serious red flags.
11. Make sure they're not talking to multiple people at once!
If they have multiple people posting on their page saying they "had a good time" or "can't wait for the next night with them", ABORT. If you're ready for commitment, this is not the person for you!
If the eleven reasons above don't convince you to join the ranks as a fellow creeper, I challenge you to give it a try some time and then tell me that it didn't effectively take care of some down time. Just be mindful of not liking posts/pictures from 3 years ago, might set off some red flags of your own!
