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.
