SOCIAL MEDIA AND STALKING|

STALKERS USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO KEEP THEIR VICTIMS IN CHECK
By Maritim Kipngetich

People subscribe to different social media platforms nowadays, so they have been used to perpetrate stalking. Ronald Rono is a fourth year student at the University of Nairobi and he is currently being stalked by his girlfriend. He said, he left his girlfriend at his home village and joined university in 2011 and since then his girlfriend has been following his daily updates in his facebook account.

“I am currently experiencing stalking from my girlfriend. I left her at home in 2011 and came to campus, but I am surprised because she must ascertain everything I post in my facebook wall. Since I trusted her, I gave her my facebook account password and she is able to log in and see everybody I chat with,” Ronald narrated.

Asked what his girlfriend is interested in his daily updates in facebook, he said she is more concern with love stories.

“My girlfriend can even call me when I post anything concerning love. We once quarreled over the phone because I had posted that I enjoyed the weekend with a sophisticated female friend. She said there was something more than friendship between me and that lady and that is why I had to hobnob with her,” he said.

Ronald said he has tried to change the password of his facebook account, but he fears that that may turn things to worst.

“I have tried to open another account or even change my password, but I am afraid that may upset her,” he said.

He said since the day she had a quarrel with his girlfriend over what he posted, he has been wary about whatever he posts. He said the people he chats with nowadays in facebook are only his fellow male friends.

Ronald, however, said he has been trying to warn her, whenever he goes home for a holiday, not to intrude to his facebook account, but the lady has always turned a deaf ear to his warnings.

“I have been telling her not to open my account but she always ignore that and when I come back to school she started doing the same thing (intrude to his facebook account),”he said.

He added that his girlfriend also must check whoever he chats with in his text messages whenever she accessed his phone.