Twitter and its ‘cyber-stalkers’

There is no doubting the fact that ‘social networking’ has changed the way we communicate. Facebook and Google+ make it easy to find old friends, YouTube provides us with a library of history and entertainment and Twitter the possibility to get instant updates.

I remember when I first joined Facebook back in 2006/7. It was all that everybody was talking about. At first, I could not quite understand the hype nor fuss about it, but over time that changed. It was not just a way to keep in touch with friends, but the real treasure was tracking down old friends that you had lost touch with.

Yet there was also a much darker side.

For those not familiar with social networking, it meant that if they have their privacy settings open then anyone could see their profile. Bosses could keep tabs on employees, ex’s could see what their past loves were up to. The possibilities were available for all to abuse.

Twitter was different. It allowed people to find their favourite people; if they had and gain an insight into their lives that they never could before. Some celebrities use Twitter as direct contact with their fans, others just as an update to what they are doing.

Yet, just like Facebook, it is open for abuse.

If a celebrity follows you back on Twitter it does not necessarily mean that you are friends and it certainly does not mean that you can stalk them.

Trust is a beautiful word. It is a shared understanding between two people that allow you to have a mutual understanding about each other. It’s a personal respect that should not be abused.

The past few months I have seen so much hatred on Facebook that I’m shutting my account off. I have seen so much “Cyber-stalking” on Twitter that it actually makes me wonder about the psychological mind of some people out there. If I were that famous with a Twitter account, I would be extremely cautious. Some people simply border on the obsessional.

Social Network sites are terrific, yet abused by a minority can make it extremely uncomfortable for the rest of the users.

I’m not sure how much longer I will stay on Twitter, only time will tell.

People need to remember; beyond the screen, we look at there is a beautiful world to explore.