Social media today is very different to social media a decade ago. In the past lots of people shunned social media, so if you wanted to avoid social media it was fairly easy to find a partner who felt the same way – but now it seems like everyone is using social media. In fact, a recent study from Pew Data found that nearly 90% of US adults have social media!
This has had a strong impact on the way people view love and relationships – and it isn’t necessarily a good thing. Lots of people stress about making their relationship ‘Facebook official’, and many others stalk their date’s social media activity to try and find out more about them.
If you can relate to this, you could be a bit of a social media stalker… and it is likely that your behaviour is causing you to stress and feel anxious. Here are three signs that indicate you are stalking someone’s social media – as well as advice on how to stop.
1. Signs You’re Stalking Someone Online: You Check Your Crush’s Social Media Multiple Times A Day… Every Day
If you check your date’s social media multiple times a day, you are already showing slightly obsessive behaviour. Of course it is normal to want to see what they are doing if you like them… but there is no reason to check multiple times a day. Checking constantly means that you are probably placing too much importance on their online behaviour, and this means that you are more likely to feel stressed or anxious if you see something you don’t like.
2. You Often Feel Sad Or Anxious When You Check Other People’s Social Media Activity
If you see that your crush has posted a picture with someone else, or they have ‘liked’ a picture, you immediately feel angry, upset and betrayed. This means that you frequently feel stressed out by social idea.
3. You Spend A Lot Of Time Analysing People’s Behaviour Online
You always talk to your friend’s about your crush’s online behavior, and if it is acceptable or not. Your friends agree with you sometimes, but other times they say that you might be overreacting – and they never bring up the subject; it is always you.
How To Stop Stalking People Online
If you want to stop staling people online you must accept that the problem lies with you. If you have low self-esteem and you don’t trust your crush, you are much more likely to stalk their online activities. This is because you feel like you need to make sure that they are being ‘faithful’ to you, when in reality online behaviour isn’t a good indicator of faithfulness.
You need to work on loving yourself; once you realise that you are lovable, you won’t constantly worry that your crush will drop you for someone else. This may seem like a difficult task, but try not to check social media for a few days. This will give you some perspective, and it will help you to be less dependent on someone else’s behavior.
