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Rodriguez
Application Development
Paper:
Lurking
By Michael Rodriguez
Professor Baron
CMTC 300-1
May 6, 2023
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Rodriguez
Lurking has been a habit in terms of spying on someone without them noticing or in
recent times, someone looking over their social media profile without even friending them or
following them. What they mean by lurking is just seeing what that person does and what they
are like. They are only scrolling their pages and just get information from their minds. Others
frequently fear that their words will not be appreciated or, more troubling, that they're going to
be mocked for choosing the incorrect words. Consider this worry in the context of social media,
where your post may be screenshotted, your picture may be captured and published to followers
with a voracious appetite for memes, and the clip can be converted to an animated image for
everyone to enjoy. That viewpoint might assist you in understanding why a few of your
supporters might not be prepared to contribute to the discussion. So, my question is: Is lurking
problematic and how do we help control it? An article named Social Media Lurkers: Who Are
They & What’s Their Impact? by Todd Kunsman of everyonesocial.com states the following:
“Most companies have people who “lurk” without interacting or engaging
directly with the content from brand social accounts, ads, or their employees. These are
people who like to read, process and research information, which can still contribute to
trust in the brand, interest in working for the organization, or even becoming a
customer.” (Kunsman)
What he means is that sometimes people from companies watch what we do on their social
media pages, but they don't always talk to us or join in on our conversations. For example, there
are some people who really enjoy reading, learning, and finding out new things. When they learn
good things about a company, they might start to like it more, want to work there, or even want
to buy from them.
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Rodriguez
I have found out that lurking is kind of good because it helps that lurker find out what is
interesting about that company or that person and wants to engage by just looking at their photos
and videos. An article named It's good to lurk on social media. At least for a while by Jess
Zimmerman of TheGuardian.com says this:
“It’s easier than ever to inform yourself before you chime in online, but that’s not
the culture anymore. Social media is social; it encourages communication and
interaction from the get-go, not observation and reflection.” (Zimmerman)
What she means is that it's really easy to learn about something before you talk about it on the
internet, but not a lot of people do that nowadays. These sites are a place to talk and connect with
people, not just watch what they are doing.
In my opinion, lurking can be a bit problematic because your mind worries about a
person and seeing if they are okay and just wants to check their profile to see if they have posted
something new. On occasions, they just comment on their post anonymously without doing
anything else. One article named The Psychology Behind Social Media Lurkers by Azad Abbasi
of ignitesocialmedia.com says:
“Lurkers are like the shy kids in grade school who once added a scoop of sand to
your sand castle bucket, but you didn’t notice so they just walked away quietly. Consider
this the moment of truth for the lurkers in your community.” (Abbasi)
What he is saying is that lurkers will occasionally take a risk and write on your brand's website
or respond to a different fan's remark with a personal tale. A problematic habit like this can lead
to many problems along the way. That lurker may start stalking on their profile until it becomes
too much for that victimized person or profile. If it continues, it can lead to major trouble, maybe
legal.
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Rodriguez
I think there should be an app that you can connect to your social media profiles and it
lets you know who has viewed your profile without them doing anything. I am naming this app
Lurk because it relates to the subject of lurking and seeing which person is viewing your profile
too much and what to do about it. This can really help your profile be safer because the only
people who can see your profile would be your friend and family, even if they don’t go on it
much or if they don’t post much.
.
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Rodriguez
Works Cited
● Kunsman, Todd (Author). Social Media Lurkers: Who Are They & What’s Their Impact?.
(Article). 2022. Everyonesocial.com
● Zimmerman, Jess (Author). It's good to lurk on social media. At least for a while.
(Article). 2015. Theguardian.com
● Abbasi, Azad (Author). The Psychology Behind Social Media Lurkers. (Article).
Unknown Year. ignitesocialmedia.com