Image via Complex Original
On the one hand, social-networking sites are awesome. They allow you to connect with friends, share pictures and memories, and let your presence on the Internet be known. On the other, social networking gives way to a handful of creepy situations: one of them being lurkers. Lurkers are essentially creepers who stalk down your Facebook so they can constantly be on top of what you're doing. It's not always easy to spot a Facebook lurker, but if you do, there are many precautions you can take: delete them, block them, make your profile private, etc. Here are the 15 Ways to Know Someone is Lurking on Your Facebook.
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They like pictures from two years ago.
The most obvious sign that someone is lurking on your Facebook is liking pictures from a long time ago. Think about it, it means they have to go on your page, click on your pictures, and scroll through enough of them to get to your old pictures. Besides the fact that it's creepy, it makes matters even worse that they have enough time on their hands to scroll through hundreds of pictures.
They poke you.
To poke someone, you have to go on their Facebook page, look around for a while, and eventually find the poke button. Because poking is awkward in general, the people who actually do push the button are probably creepers. Especially if it's a random person.
You don't know them, but they send you a friend request anyway.
There are only a few reasons people friend request you if they don't know you: networking, or they're trying to creep. Typically it's the latter because networking is contained to LinkedIn. So, should you get a random friend request, be careful. The person probably just wants to stalk you slightly more than your privacy settings allow.
They occupy the No. 1 slot.
This is a new trick: go to your profile and check out which of your friends are on top. Generally, Facebook lists your friends in order of who you interact with most. If a random Facebook friend is near the top, you might have a stalker. If this is a little too creppy for you, you can always block them.
They send you weird, quasi-flirty messages.
Typically weird messages go as follows: "Hey, have we met before?" Um, no, no we haven't. Lurkers don't generally have a lot to say that actually makes any sense, so random comments can point them out fairly quickly.
You keep getting tagged in applications.
Think about it: Would you tag a random person in Farmville or Cityville or some other nonsense? Probably not. If you keep getting notifications from the same person to play some Facebook game with you, it may be time to unfriend.
They become friends with your friends.
Lurkers generally try become friends with you so they can see everything you do. However, some take it even further by trying to befriend your homies so they can see what they're up to as well. Should this happen, both you and your friend need to block this creeper as soon as possible.
Their Spotify list matches your Spotify list.
Nothing really shows you the who a person truly is like the music they listen to. Should you fall victim to a lurker, they probably stalk your Spotify list as well, and listen to the same music you do in an attempt to get a little closer. If all else fails, just listen to your music on YouTube.
They find your Instagram account via Facebook.
Nowadays, all of our social networking websites are somehow linked. Therefore, when a person puts up a picture on Instagram, that picture will probably end up on their Facebook. This is the perfect situation for a lurker because then they'll get to you on IG, too. Solution: make your profile private across all platforms.
They like random posts you published weeks prior.
This is basically the same as liking your old pictures. The creeper in question has to go through your entire page and find something that strikes their fancy. This is a pretty tell-tale sign that you may have a lurker on your hands.
They just so happen to be in the same places you check-in to.
If you randomly happen to see a person you semi-know in a place you just checked-in to on Facebook, they probably went there because they knew you would be there. If it happens multiple times, you can be certain that this person is a straight creepin'. So, long story short, don't check-in to places. #Sorrynotsorry Foursquare.
They accidentally type your name in the Status Bar instead of the Search Bar.
This is by far the creepiest, albeit, funniest thing a lurker can do. Rather than typing your name into the search bar to see your page come up, they accidentally type it into the status update bar. Imagine you sitting there and seeing your name as someone else's status. If they don't catch on quick, not only will you know you have a lurker on your hands, but so will the rest of their friend list.
They invite you to join Groups.
Being in the same random group of Facebook allows your lurker to constantly see what you're up to. When you're in a group together, they get continuous updates of everything you do. As if that's not creepy enough, lurkers will ask you to join weird groups that nobody else wants to be a part of. If this happens to you, don't accept. We repeat: DO NOT ACCEPT.
They constantly comment on your wall. ALL. THE. TIME.
Constant comments are not only annoying, but they also mean you might have a crush on your hands. If you think about, who really has the time to comment on everything you post unless they're constantly hitting refresh on your page? Exactly.
They like your posts on your friends' walls.
The only thing that's weirder than a lurker liking everything on your page is them liking things you post on other peoples wall. When you think about it, it takes a little extra effort to look at your friends page to see what you posted. Thus, making it all the more obvious that you have a stalker.
