Stalking Has Just Become More Tricky with Facebook Stories

By
Vanessa Ong
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First, there is Snapchat. Then Instagram stories. Soon enough, Whatsapp decides to come into play. Now, Facebook also made up their mind to join in the fun.  

Now, if you haven’t been logging into Facebook, here’s the article for you. Introducing Facebook Stories, the newest feature on Facebook, that we just can’t quite decide if we’d be better off without it. 

Facebook Stories

Just like Snapchat, Facebook stories feature snippets of your friends’ daily lives that you get to view for the next 24 hours. Now you get to show off to your friends about your cool getaway to Bali or your cute little kitten’s adventures in your backyard without having to fill up your profile with humblebragging posts. Sounds great? 

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Here’s the catch – Facebook doesn’t let you know when someone takes a screenshot of your story. Yes, it disappears after a good 24 hours. But the photo might be retained by other people if they decide to screenshot it. However, it gives you an idea on who is stalking you recently. *Gulps* 

Image: hothardware.com/

When you click on your friend’s story, your view will be recorded among the others in a list of people who’s viewed their stories. There is no escaping, to all the stalkers out there who aren’t familiar with Instagram Stories or SnapChat. Proceed with caution! 

If you’re as interested in other people’s lives as I am, you’ll realise how awkward it is to be lurking around, risking being caught by them red-handed. Having your name appear on a content you’ve just viewed is not a very pleasant thought. Having your name appear constantly is just…so super paisay.

Stalking exposed? 

Also, given how we actually have lots of “friends” that are not on par with actual real-life friends, it makes it even more difficult for them to stalk you. Or vice versa. Want to see how your hot crush is doing? Don’t bother clicking on his story if you don’t want to expose yourself. 

This is especially so for Facebook – in Instagram, people want to be viewed because there’re Instagrammers. You’ve never heard of “Facebookers”, so I’m not sure if people do want to be viewed.

Let’s not discount the fact that some people who appear on this list might only appear there as the result of an accidental tap. Once your name is on the list, there is no turning back. Really Risky. Furthermore, the story goes on and on. What do I mean? Well, when you click on person A to view his profile, it will move on to person B if you do not exit their story. 

Image: socialmediaweek.org

Why is it so that we are at risk of being exposed for stalking on Facebook as opposed to other apps? Snapchat is designed for you to view other people’s stories. Instagram is already full of photos and videos, it’s natural to integrate Instagram stories into your daily routine. Facebook… Well, it contains a lot of information about other people, making it the perfect platform to stalk.

Would Facebook users be able to normalise the use of Facebook story then? 

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But there’s just something even more interesting: the feature has been rolled out since last week, but it doesn’t seem to get any hype here in Singapore.

Since you’re here, why not check out Goody Feed’s YouTube videos as well? They’re so Singaporean, I bet you’ll like them!

Featured Image: socialmediaweek.org

This article was first published on Goodyfeed.com

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Vanessa Ong
Email: [email protected]