Thursday 13 November 2014

Just 'cos I was "Last Seen at 8.06am" doesn't mean you need to say hello, Stalker...



I’ve just started watching the series Stalker, and I must say I was apprehensive at first. Firstly, Tavia suggested it to me, the same twisted mind that made me watch The Strangers, but then again, anything Tavia usually suggests is good entertainment, especially if it makes HER jump. One thing Stalker does is make you think, and also you suddenly become very aware of your dog’s eyes on you, in your towel, in your room, alone at home…

And another thing Stalker has taught me is that people stalk in many, many different ways. Not only is it a creep in a hoody behind a bush (where do you still get bushes these days anyway?)… Anybody is susceptible to stalking… In modern times it’s our inability to escape the impending doom of the dreaded blue ticks.

It’s sad when you realise just how dependent we’ve become on validation from others in the form of “likes” or the need for someone to respond instantly. I’ll be honest, I’ve had moments where I’ve been upset waiting for a reply. But then there are days where I miss my childhood when my father had to come search for me in a field down the road because I didn’t want to go inside, now I get messages to bring him coffee… in the next room!

What’s that got to do with stalking you might ask? Well, have you ever felt trapped by your social media networks or things like WhatsApp’s “Last seen”? Then you know exactly what I mean…


The worst thing for me is an empty conversation and if someone is trying to “talk” to you constantly it starts to raise my eyebrows. Even more so, if they never SAY anything. “How are you” conversations, as I call them, are the bane of my 1-day-lasting battery. If you really cared I’d see you.

 
And then there’s the downright “What Are You Looking For” traits that make me pull my face like this:



-That awkward moment when LinkedIn busts you for stalking, if we’re not high school friends and you don’t have any intention of hiring me, please don’t endorse me for skills you never knew I had. 


-Liking pictures from 2009… I think we’ve all experienced this one. No-one needs to see that jug in my hand, it happened, it’s gone, you’re not nostalgic, you’re creepy.


-Remember that time you hated rugby / cricket / soccer / insert musical band etc? But yet here you are, 7 rows behind me… nice Ray-Bans…



What’s the lesson here? Invest in “real time” with people who matter. Stop looking for validation and know when to stop investing in someone who has no interest in you.



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