Are you a Facebook stalker ? Nearly everyone has cocker in the secret satisfaction that comes with spying on a life that no longer has you in it . In fact , a study out of The University of Western Ontarioshows that 88 percent of Facebook users fessed up to spending time creeping on someone else ’s profile .
The motivations behind the practice variegate wildly , from schadenfreude to wonder . But why do we do it ? What do we get out of it ?
“ We ’re hardwired to compensate attention to other people , ” enounce media psychologistPamela Rutledge , who studies the impact of media and technology on our life . “ Even if we broke something off , we require to essentially trust that no one can supplant us . We want statement that we ’re value or a good soul , so we ’re hoping that without us they ’re last to be a slight bit sad or suffer a small bit . ”
It ’s fulfill for us because we attach personal meaning to that person , Rutledge say , even if we ’re not connected any longer . ( And from a dilatoriness viewpoint , it mostly beats whatever work weshouldbe doing . )
Not all societal medium sites are made equal , though , and newbie cyber stalkers have a real risk of exposing themselves , either by liking something on Facebook by accident or forgetting that LinkedIn indicate who ’s viewed a visibility . commencement - ups are constantly trying to line up ways to reveal who has looked at a profile page ( shudder ! ) . Facebook claimsit wo n’t happen .
But unless stalking lead to threats or trespassing , the risks of spying are slim to none — and as long as the objective of the aid has no idea , the psychological side effect lands only on the sneak .
“ You ’re not endangering someone , you ’re just being really curious , ” Rutledge say . “ Obviously , there ’s a okay line . If you are invest a lot of sentence following someone , then you likely ought to evaluate how you ’re pass your clip . At that point , it ’s become totally about you . It is n’t about the other mortal at all . ”
