Yes, what’s described in that message can reasonably be called stalking, particularly emotional or digital stalking.
Here’s why:
đźš© Key Red Flags:
1. Persistent focus on someone who wants no contact:
“I was respecting her wishes to not go around talking about her too much…”
• This implies she explicitly wanted boundaries, which are later broken.
2. Attempting covert contact while bypassing consent:
“…recognizable to her, but not identifiable enough for anyone to connect the dots…”
• This suggests the person is trying to secretly reach or provoke a response from her without her direct consent.
3. Monitoring for signs of life and interpreting ambiguous signals:
“…the only communication from her… was a kinda scary Spotify playlist…”
• This is an example of obsessive behavior—parsing random digital activity as meaningful communication.
4. Increased obsessive behavior based on unverifiable rumors:
“Someone claiming to be her brother saying she committed suicide… panic intensified…”
• Regardless of emotional distress, this behavior escalated rather than de-escalated after this.
5. Admitting that their online presence is a vehicle to reach her indirectly:
“The only point of having the npub was… while she would be able to recognize who it was…”
• This crosses into using public forums as indirect messaging tools, which can feel invasive or coercive.