Photo Lurking

What Does Photo Lurking Mean?

Photo lurking is an Internet meme in which people purposely appear in the background of other people’s photos. To successfully lurk in a photo, the lurker must remain unnoticed while the picture is taken. As the photo is being taken, the lurker turns towards the camera and, if time allows, makes a face or strikes a pose that becomes the unintentional focus of the picture. These photos are shared over the Internet via websites, blogs and social media.

Photo lurking is also referred to simply as lurking, although lurking also refers to a person who reads a message board without posting or engaging.

Techopedia Explains Photo Lurking

Photo lurking is sometimes confused with photobombing, which is a wider category of photo hijinks that includes lurking as well as more involved gags. There are no official standards to differentiate photo lurking from the larger world of photobombing, but if a prop or costume is involved, then it is probably a photobomb rather than a lurk. There are many online groups dedicated to sharing examples of photo lurking as well as photobombing.