A Socially Acceptable Form of Stalking?

EVERYONE who has Facebook is familiar with the phrase 'Facebook stalk.' We all do it; whether its with a cup of tea, with a group of friends or after a night out - the term refers to looking at someones profile who you don't plan on contacting.

But can we really call it stalking, a term widely used for a crime which is condemed by courts and is certainley not a joke. True, we probably shouldn't be looking at people we don't know, but isn't looking at someones profile equivalent to ogling at a 'hot guy' walking down the street. Everyone tells us not to objectify, but lets be honest if Jonny Wilkinson or Brad Pitt was to walk past you on the street, nine (probably ten) out of ten times you would look. No one condems the posters on the wall or screensaver you made featuring a montage of rugby players. So why do we question so much looking at someones photos online?

The question is about obsession. Its fair to say we all check someones pictures once or twice, maybe even click on one of their friends. At what point does it becomes weird, maybe even a little wrong. One of my very good, but slightly wishful friends thought it a brilliant idea to add a proffessional rugby player on Facebook - of course, she was not lucky enough for him to accept her but the fact she thought their was a chance shows the ease at which we let ourselves into someones elses life. Or perhaps it was just wishful thinking, we all have the dream where someone famous happens to fall for you. I certainley wouldn't call her a stalker.

The problem is when 'Facebook stalking' goes to far. There have been some horror stories and no matter how you sugarcoat it, social networking can be used as a mechanism for those with wrong intentions. In 2008 a man was cleared of “Facebook stalking” after sending a "friend request" after clicking on his ex's profile "out of curiosity” (Wednesday 26 March, 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/7315635.stm).

To me, to have a court case based on the addition of a Facebook friend is unbalanced when networking sites such as Twitter have been built in order to ‘follow individuals.’ Certainly, I don’t expect Lady Gaga to personally know her 11 million followers and whilst there is clearly a difference, it is the same concept of the relationship between a person and the unknown.

Whilst there are clear wrongs in the world of social networking, it is up to personal preference how private your own individual profile is. People are not forced to accept friend requests and can limit the amount of personal information seen to the world: as this is the case I believe the phrase ‘Facebook stalking’ can only be used ironically and not as a term fit for court.