Sortastalking

Facebook, the hottest social networking site right now, has definitely given the term "stalker" a whole new meaning. There is the usual kind of stalker that requires a restraining order, and luckily for us, there aren’t too many of them out and about. Then there is the Facebook stalker who, whether you like to admit it or not, lives in every one of us.

Admit it, you’ve taken advantage of Facebook’s anonymous profile viewing when your ultimate crush from work posted pictures from his Saturday afternoon’s basketball game. Or what about that time when your former classmate from college posted those sexy pictures from her Boracay trip? Surely you took a peek out of curiosity. There’s something about it that wakes the voyeur in us, and it will not stop unless it gets its fix which Facebook happily provides.

On the other hand, there won’t be voyeurs without exhibitionists, and Facebook users take on this dual role. You secretly look at pictures of others, but you also post pictures for their viewing satisfaction. You kind of hope that they will be checking you out too, especially since you look particularly good in that pink halter top you’re wearing from that drunken Saturday night out.

It just goes to show how nosy yet narcissistic people are. We like to know what other people are up to, and we hope that they’re curious about what we’ve been up to as well. In short, Facebook has become the online version of that happening bar where people go to see and be seen. It’s a virtual runway where we all strut our stuff, where we are both the models and the viewers.

But it’s all in good fun.