Is it considered “stalking” if the information is posted publicly online? 

Nowadays, when you meet someone new, a common reaction is to look them up online or on social media like getting someone’s Snapchat or Instagram. The slang term for this is often called stalking but the goal is to find their profiles and create a research-style shortcut in getting to know this new person. 

Since so many of us post our lives onto social media, their page can tell you a lot about who they are as a person and about their life. Or what you think is their life. They can make you see what they want you to see. You can’t truly get to know someone when you can only know what they choose to show. It’s not authentic to them. 

This quick information grab has changed how we interact with people and how we get to know people. We no longer have to ask people personal questions to get to know these things we can now find online which gives us less human connection to them. Sometimes people even make fake accounts for stalking with fake posts or no posts, no followers and sometimes fake names as well so you can never really know the whole truth for sure online because of how easy it is to lie. 

This can then lead to searching up their name and finding their family’s and friends profiles or other things that mention them online. You may question if this is considered stalking or is it just public information? In my opinion, I think it is public information when posted online. 

The definition of stalking is the action of harassing or intimidating someone online, typically by sending messages of an obsessive, threatening, or offensive nature.

I think it is not considered stalking online as long as you aren’t rude or creepy about it. Also on most websites you can choose to have a public or a private account which would then allow you to choose if you would like people to be able to see who your friends and family are from your account. You can choose your posts and what you put online for others to see. So as long as you don’t find the information in a weird way it is ok since it’s intentionally posted as long as it is only normal information and not super personal. This has also become a common thing for lots of people to do.

I think it only becomes stalking if you are repeatedly doing it or if you start getting into super personal information such as where someone lives. There is a difference if you search someone’s name online innocently with no intent to harm them but if you then start to reach out to them or their family or go to see them in person without asking and create unwanted attention for them that is when I think it would be considered stalking. This has become more common as more people go online because it’s become popularized so be careful of what you post.