Are you familiar with the term “Facebook stalking”? More likely than not, someone on your Facebook network or real life has mentioned the term before.
After seeing the term show up in my Facebook feed today, I felt the need to address the issue specifically. There is no such thing as Facebook stalking, so you should get over it.
Going back to basics, why do you friend people on Facebook to begin with? For me, “friending” people means extending a connection request to them—similar to LinkedIn. Once the request is accepted and the connection made, it gives me an opportunity to keep in touch with that person and interact with them through their updates, their wall and other means.
When someone says they are being “Facebook stalked”, it comes off as unwanted contact from another individual. But let’s think about this for a second: Facebook does give you an opportunity to “defriend” people, don’t they? They do give you an opportunity to manage your privacy controls and hide certain updates from your feed, right?
Yet, many people go on and complain or mention the concept of Facebook stalking. If you have a connection with someone over Facebook, it isn’t realistic to consider that stalking, because you personally have allowed them to see and interact on your updates.
Is Facebook “friending” misnamed?
Friend request almost seems like a silly term, considering how many people connect with others that they haven’t necessarily met in real life, but met over the Internet or though a different social networking site.
Everybody uses Facebook differently—some may accept almost every friend request that comes their way, others may prefer to keep a tight, smaller network. But Facebook’s “Friend Request” feature hasn’t been renamed.
People who are not well-adapted with social media miss the point when they consider a “Facebook friend”. If more people can consider friends as connections, the “Facebook stalking” term would be obsolete. However, even with people adapting new social networking sites (and increasing their knowledge about how to use them), the term still remains.
The truth: Many people still don’t know how to use Facebook (or social media sites) in an open manner.
Social media sites were meant for connections—not limited to just real-life friends or acquaintances. Sure, it’s great to keep up with a close network, but social networking sites are also great for just that—networking. Once people can begin to understand the power of social networking sites for connections on a widespread level, the term “Facebook stalking” will eventually begin to disappear. Until then, expect to hear the term muttered every now and then by the people you are closest to.
What are your thoughts on “Facebook stalking”? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
