Am I a stalker

let me teach you my middle school stalking tactics. So back in middle school i fell for this dude at first sight cause this bitch was the PRETTIEST MAN I have ever seen. like im talking so pretty people mistake him for a woman. Anyways, after I found out how his schedule corelated with mine heres what i did.
1. After class, intentionally go to where his classroom is at and pretend you went the wrong way after you walk past him.
2. eavesdrop in his conversations (I found out where mine was going to for summer vaca just by eavesdropping)
3. PROJECT PROJECT AND PROJECT start shipping him with his friends and tell other's that they like him they"ll go "ew he's [drops information about him]"
4. he doesn't know you like him so there's no need to be shy and act like yoself. He'll be more likely to tell you more about himself if he thinks you the type to mess around and flirt with everyone rather than the shy type
you're welcome (づ￣ ³￣)づ

Depends on your age I guess. If u r a minor, it's normal to search them up because of course u're embarrassed about it. But if u GROWN, it is still not strange but try to work up the courage to know them personally. Sometimes what u like is just the idea of him that u created in ur head especially when u said u only ever talked to him once. In a nutshell, it's not strange at all but it's toxic to urself if u gon have feelings for someone u don't really know - open so many doors to disappointment. My advice is if u're a minor, just focus on ur study, fr.

Totally normal!! Don't beat yourself up! Its only normal to have curiosity to know more about the person you have a crush on, social media is the easiest way to do so as long as it's not excessive searching it's completely fine.
Usually people try to talk to the person they have interest in and get to know more about them, this is to find out if you have a crush on them simply because of the fantasy you created of them being a certain way or do you like them for how they actually are.

Thank you for not making me feel crazy
I am veryyy shy so I dont know how to strike up conversations with people. And wouldn't it be obvious I like him if I sit next to him/try to talk to him out of the blue?

Thank you. Ill copy and paste ur steps into chagpt and ask for the College Edition

(●￣(ｴ)￣●)AND I OOP

Start by sitting near him not next to him, so that the close proximity can give rise to atleast some sort of conversation, also smile whenever you meet him after you've gotten to know him a bit.
I'd suggest asking him to explain something you didn't understand in the lecture or ask if you can see his lecture notes to cross check something that you missed out, basically make it seem like your intentions are innocent with no particular motive behind them.
As for being obvious, the methods i suggested don't make it seem obvious and even if he does get the hint, if he likes you too he'll start initiating conversations with you too and if not even after many such initiations and talks then maybe someone else would be much better for you. Either ways don't overthink it, you still don't know him well and it's easy to obsess over the image of him you created in your head so try not to do that and see him for who he is, if you still like him then start making your initiations more obvious like greeting him everytime you see him and stuff like that.
Best of luck! (◍•ᴗ•◍)

Let me break that down.

First:
Liking someone - means you are 'interested'.
In your case, it seems your 'interest' is not that deep yet. And by being interested, it's a totally natural humane response to be 'curious'. I would say, a lot of people (like me and my high school friends!) have done some light Googling or SNS browsing on their crushes out of 'curiosity'. I think it’s a pretty common way to satisfy your curiosity without going too deep. As long as it’s harmless and not invasive, it’s just part of being interested in someone.

Second:
Societal standard - usually, people would try to get to know someone better before pursuing a deeper connection (I mean by leveling up from crushing stage into romantic stage). But it would mainly depend on our personality. Extroverts and ambiverts may initiate conversations with their crushes to have direct interactions, while introverts (like me and my high school friends!) may hesitate to reach out first. They might prefer to stay low or remain discreet, feeling satisfied with a one-sided crush, or they may depend on someone else to create a 'pure coincidence' situation that brings them together with their crush.

Third:
Supposed to do - this will depend on your personality. If you’re comfortable stepping into the light and letting your crush know that you exist (and know your name, of course), then go for it! On the other hand, if you're not comfortable doing that, that's okay. You’re not compelled to do what others do. It will always depend on you. Whatever decision you make, just make sure to choose the one you’ll least regret.

Lastly:
Crazy and concerning behavior - no, it's definitely not. Looking someone up online is a normal and natural way to learn more about them. Just remember to keep it light and fun! It’s all part of the experience of having a crush! Just take it easy and enjoy the journey! You're not alone in this!
(๑•ㅂ•)و✧