Facebook stalking. A phrase that as little as seven years ago would have made as much sense as the concept of The Only Way Is Essex.

And, similarly to watching TOWIE, you tell people you don’t do it. You know it’s only going to cause you pain in the long run. But for reasons we’ll never truly understand you... just... can’t... stop.

That’s enough of the shoddy metaphor, but the point stands - Facebook stalking has become standard practice, the acceptable face of voyeurism. Not sure what we're talking about - check out...

• The beginner’s guide to Facebook stalking

But the 21st century alternative to standing outside your ex’s house with a pair of binoculars may be about to come to an end thanks to changes announced by the social media behemoth.

Facebook has announced that it will start letting users know who has viewed items on the site - meaning your snooping will no longer be anonymous.

At first, the changes only apply to group pages rather than individuals, so you’ll be able to see who has viewed the page of an group of which you are a member.

But now that the technology has been announced, many believe this is the first step towards individual users being able to find out exactly who has looked at their profile.

So what does this mean for students?

You see a hottie across the lecture theatre, you look them up to find out how single they are... BOOM, your cover is blown. You’re now the person who looks people up before speaking to them. You can never talk to them. Well done.

Your ex has changed their status to ‘in a relationship’ - you, as is now the norm, stalk the sh*t out of them to find out what they have that you don’t. Your ex gets wind of this, and now knows you’re not even close to being over them. Good work.

So, all in all, your Facebook stalking days are numbered... maybe it’s time to invest in some binoculars?

• The beginner’s guide to Facebook stalking