Peeping Phyl

I’ll go first, I’m an online stalker and I’m damn good at it. But isn’t everyone an online stalker? Although, I actually know someone who claims he’s not, I think the definition of stalking is subjective and I would beg to differ.

Search engines have provided us with the ability to find out quite a bit about a person, but of course you have to know the right words to use to get the return you’re seeking. And even if you don’t have much of a starting point, if you hit on just one small thing that pops up, it can lead you to the next and it becomes a ripple effect of results.

And then there’s social media, i.e. Facebook. Once you’ve identified the correct “John Doe” you’re searching for out of the 50 John Does that popped up, if John hasn’t made his account private (and most Johns don’t, lol), you can view snippets of his life going way back to when he began his account. You can view all JD’s friends, see who likes and comments on his posts, and view the pictures he puts up showing the world how much fun he’s having.

Sometimes, it can be very gratifying what you see and other times, it can be upsetting. It all depends on who you’re stalking and why. For instance, if you’re stalking an ex, viewing that page can make you angry, sad and downright miserable. If you’re stalking an old high school friend you haven’t seen in 20 years, that can be joyful and you may even reconnect with that person if you like what you see and you miss them.

Personally, I’m proud of my stalking abilities. I’m not doing anything illegal and nobody gets hurt, except maybe me depending on who I’m stalking.

That being said, although I just pointed out I was proud of my abilities, I am a bit embarrassed because it is sort of pathetic. But when I go down that path, I say to myself isn’t that what it’s there for? As well as sharing funny memes, pictures, and events with your friends and family?

I think I prefer to think of online stalking as investigative research that fulfills my bottomless well of curiosity since I’m always open to learning new things.