Stalking and New Media influence

New media and films have influenced stalkers by giving them new ideas and showing new up to date gadgets and expanding on old ideas.





When a stranger calls (2000) shows the traumatic side of stalking, although it's a fictional story, made for entertainment, it is still a way we can understand what the victim goes through, although not all stalkers go to the extreme, some do.


http://glamour-news.blogspot.com/2009/09/best-stalker-movies.html This blog shows many examples of different stalker films, a genre of film that has become increasingly popular.



The Taxi Driver, was the film that influenced John Hinckley in his final attempt to gain Jodie Fosters attention. This shows that some individuals are influenced by these films.

The Internet has also made it easier for stalkers to gain information on anyone they want, whether focusing on celebrities or simply on a normal person.


This video outlines that stalking is not just a issue for celebrities but for any individual, although new media may have influenced some stalkers, there has been a positive outcome for the use of new media towards stalkers. It has made the subject of stalkers well know and there are help websites, help phone lines and even talk shows talk about the subject. These help websites offer information on how to protect yourself, what to do, who to ask for help.

Overall I believe that new media has had a positive effect on stalking for the victims, by offering support that may have previously not been available.

spokeo.com New and easier way to stalk?

Technology has inhanced incrededibly in recent years. From the influence of new media and films and books to new technology that makes stalking easier.
For example digital cameras and video recorders have got smaller as the years go on.

an example of the new type of spy camera, the purpose of this camera is that it be placed in a button hole on a shirt and looks exactly like a plain black button. For the price of about £125 it's a small price to pay to film anything you want without other people knowing. This might not be out right stalking as it's not filming someone all the time, but still it's invasion of someones privacy. Where is technology going to go? Are we going to be completely unaware of when we might be being filmed.

The invention of new media has made internet stalkers more common, it's easy to gather information about someone online through their social networking sites, even the simpliest information given can make the search for all other details on a person easier.

http://www.spokeo.com/ is a new type of website, one that makes the search for anyone so much easier. You can simply type in an email of someone you might not know and the website gathers all information known about this person on the internet. Or you can simply enter someones name and the area they live in, however this function is just limited to those in America. Alternately you can scan your whole email address book and find information on all your contacts, even those you don't know.

In my email address book I know I only know about 10% of the people and have seen and spoken to about 5% face to face. So using Spokeo.com I'm able to know details of the rest of the 90% of my address book.

Surely this is unfair, and seems completely against the law, when in fact it is not breaking any privacy laws and is perfectly legal. To me this seem scary for someone whom I may not know or may not have contact with to know many details about me. On this website for free, you're able to know a few details about some, such as their full name and the area in which they live, pictures of them and their friends and posts and blogs which they have, although the free version doesn't allow you to click and view any of these on an external website. However for just $2.95 a month and $35 a year you are able to view everything available on someone, this includes their address, phone number, photos and videos etc. If you really wanted to know everything about someone the price of $2.95 which is about £1.90 is a small price for those who wish to stalk someone.

Surely making it this easy to gather information about someone should be illegal, the way in which those who wish to stalk anyone can find all this information in one place with one simple step.