‘Stalking’ Is Such a Harsh Word

When’s the last time you looked up someone hot on Facebook? Before lunch? There are about 900 million people on Facebook and, according to recent research, about a third of them use it to stalk.

“I think part of the problem is we need to stop calling it stalking,” Yahoo! Shine’s Piper Weiss tells Ali. “I think we have to call it practical research.”

Think about it: if you’re about to go on a date with someone you don’t know very well, a Facebook profile or a twitter feed can give you some good conversation material. “I actually think it's sexy to completely admit to someone that you've checked them out on the internet,” says Piper.

For example, say you love air hockey or a local band. If your crush plans a fun date around those activities, it’s kind of romantic, right?

Of course, there’s a line. If you’ve already been dating for awhile, “It's cool to 'like' things that they're doing, it's cool to tag them in things,” says Piper. But don’t overdo it. You don’t need to like every single post, or email to say, “I see you online. Why aren’t you responding to my emails?” See the difference, there?

But these days, people assume you’ve looked at their online footprint, because they’ve looked at yours. “We need to get rid of our stalking shame,” Piper says. “You have to do your due diligence.”

But for those of you who follow George Clooney wherever he goes: that is stalking, and that is bad. Unless your name is Ali Wentworth.

For Ali and Piper’s chat about the SADDEST form of stalking, watch the video!