Facebook Stalking
The Facebook stalk. If you have a Facebook account, chances are you know what this term means. “Facebook stalking” consists of viewing another user’s profile on a regular basis. This includes reading their wall posts or comments and looking at all their pictures and information. It most often occurs with crushes. But it’s harmless, right? You’re just getting up-to-speed on what your guy/girl/crush has been up to. Well, think again! A new study (link) has shown that Facebook creates jealously and suspicion in romantic relationships.
According to the study, Facebook allows people to view and interpret certain information that they may not otherwise be able to. Does your boyfriend have an ex as a friend? Is your girlfriend flirting with your best friend? Facebook makes this easy to see, which ultimately contributes to the jealousy factor. Humans are naturally curious—if they have access to information, they’re most likely going to take advantage of it!
The study also found that the more time a person spends online, the more apprehensive they become. It becomes an endless circle—the more jealous you get, the more you “stalk” a person’s page. The more you “stalk” that person, the more information you can gather to be suspicious about. So, how do you break this cycle of jealousy?
The study suggests that monitoring how much personal information you reveal can help to quell jealousy and suspicion. Maybe that conversation with your ex is best kept to e-mail or phone, instead of on your “wall-to-wall”. Maybe your crush doesn’t need to see that you’re “on a date with Cute Boy X!” in your status. Because Facebook has the ability to make personal interactions public, censoring the type of material you share openly might help save your relationship from unnecessary jealousy and suspicion.
Happy stalking!