photolurker

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noun

One who seeks out and views online pictures posted by people he or she does not know.

Scrabble 20

Meanings

nounphotolurker (plural photolurkers)

plural photolurkers

  1. One who seeks out and views online pictures posted by people he or she does not know.

    Photolurkers spent most of their time online flicking through photograph albums posted by strangers.

    2006, New Scientist - Volume 192, Issues 2578-2584, page 34
    3 more examples

    Perhaps the photolurkers aren't entirely to blame. Some photographers are posting their most private moments online, without any password protection, for all the world to see.

    2007 January 23, “Online snappers told to beware photolurkers”, in The Guardian

    Other recently recognized emotional possibilities include: egosurfing (narcissistic observation of one's own name or reputation on the web), blog streakers (revealing secrets or inappropriate personal information online), google-stalking (snooping and seeking information about old friends, ex-lovers, etc.), photolurkers (obsession with images of unknown people), infornography (obsessive search and distribution of internet information), and crackberry (being unable to stop checking one's BlackBerry, even at the most inappropriate times). These are all well-suited to facilitating transnational contacts and emotions.

    2009, Stephen Fineman, The Emotional Organization: Passions and Power, →ISBN, page 196

    In contrast, the passive visitor, or photolurker, does not offer any comments to photologs, yet often visits them.

    2012, Roderick Weener, Photolog Viewing on Facebook, (Masters Thesis - Universiteit van Amsterdam)

Origin

Cite this entry
APA

photolurker. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/photolurker

MLA

“photolurker.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/photolurker. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “photolurker,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/photolurker.

Source: photolurker on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.