Our world revolves around social media –Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, Facebook. It's difficult to imagine what our culture would even be like without it. Not only do we have so many options for which sites to utilize, we also have them at our fingertips... on smartphones and tablets, laptops and even gaming systems. All of this internet sharing has led to each of us having an "online presence" that gives others an idea of who we are, what we're like, and what's going on in our lives, even if they don't know us personally. So much information at our fingertips, and what do we do with it? We stalk, of course! Here are some signs that excessive social media use has turned you into a Facebook stalker.
1. You know people by their Facebook names.
There's several people whose Facebook name is their first name and middle name. It's cool, no big deal. But then there are those people who have names like Mommy 4Ever Jones or HizBabeeGurl Prinzess. You see them in public and you legitimately can't remember any of their legal names, so you call them by their Facebook name and try to make it sound like a joke. But it's not a joke because their given name is locked in the recesses of a Facebook-ridden brain.
2. You occasionally view your ex's page even though you're not friends.
Ex-girlfriend, ex-boyfriend, ex-best friend – it doesn't matter. If you go to view the page of a person you are no longer friends with, then you are definitely a Facebook stalker.
3. When you haven't seen someone in a while, but then you do, and you go to their Facebook page and like everything they've posted in the last year.
You know what I mean. It might be fall semester, and you haven't seen this girl all summer. Now she looks super different, so you wonder what she's been up to. You jump on to her Facebook and next thing you know, you've got her whole life story down.
4. A friend of a friend of a friend comments on something and you spend the next hour going through all of their profile pictures.
You know that she had braces up until three years ago. She had a boyfriend once, and they dated for a long time, but now she's single and looking fabulous! Her mom's name is Jean, her dad's name is Bill, and she has at least two siblings. All this and you've never met the person. Yes, you are a Facebook stalker.
5. You know someone is funny, so you purposely go to their profile to cheer yourself up.
It's been a while since you talked to that one really funny guy, and you've had a down day. He always has the funniest memes, so you make your way to his profile and laugh it up.
6. You have multiple accounts to contact people you've blocked.
This goes right along with number 2. Fess up. If you've ever done this, you are officially a Facebook stalker. Bad, bad, bad! Find something better to with your life than dwell on the past.
7. You avoid liking things because you're creeping specifically on one person's profile.
And then you promptly (accidentally) hit the like button on something, so you really quickly unlike it and then spend the rest of the day wondering if that person will notice.