Online Obsessive Relational Intrusion: Further Concerns About Facebook

Use of online social networking sites such as Facebook has burgeoned in the last 5 years. We examine these sites as facilitators
of Online Obsessive Relational Intrusion (o-ORI)—a much-talked about, but relatively un-researched online phenomenon. We draw
parallels between the types of behaviors conducted online and those identified in the literature on relational intrusion and
its more extreme relative, stalking. We present a frequency analysis of students’ behavior on Facebook and find evidence of
relational intrusion from both offenders and targets. The behaviors can be classified into five different categories, including:
primary contact attempts, secondary contact attempts (i.e., contacting others connected to the target), monitoring or surveillance,
expressions, and invitations. We conclude that Facebook facilitates behaviors that are indicative of obsessive relational
intrusion and that such behaviors have implications for users’ privacy and security.