GANGSTALKIN-WHAT THE MEDIA SAYS

Wiki: "Gang stalking or group-stalking is a set of persecutory delusions in which those affected believe they are being followed, stalked, and harassed by a large number of people.[43] The term is associated with the virtual community formed by people who consider themselves "targeted individuals" ("T.I."), claiming their lives are disrupted from being stalked by organized groups intent on causing them harm." [44][45]

[44] Flatley, Joseph (2 February 2017). "Paranoid delusions in the police state". The Outline.

[45] Sheridan, Lorraine; James, David; Roth, Jayden (6 April 2020). "The Phenomenology of Group Stalking ('Gang-Stalking'): A Content Analysis of Subjective Experiences". International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 17 (7): 2506. doi:10.3390/ijerph17072506. PMC 7178134. PMID 32268595.

GROK: Gangstalking (also written as gang stalking or group stalking) refers to the belief that a person is being systematically harassed, surveilled, followed, and psychologically tormented by a large, coordinated group of people—often described as strangers, neighbors, coworkers, or agents working together in an organized effort.

People who identify as victims call themselves "Targeted Individuals" (TIs). They typically describe the experience as involving:

• Constant physical surveillance (being followed on foot, by car, or in public places, with the same people or vehicles appearing repeatedly).

• "Street theater" — staged events or conversations near the victim that seem designed to mock them, reference private details, or provoke reactions.

• Mobbing or group intimidation tactics (e.g., people making specific gestures, wearing certain colors, coughing repeatedly, or using phrases tied to the victim's life as signals).

• Electronic harassment (claims of hacking devices, "voice-to-skull" technology beaming sounds/voices into the head, directed energy weapons causing pain or sensations, sleep disruption via noise campaigns, or other advanced tech for mind control or physical harm).

• Psychological manipulation (gaslighting, spreading rumors, ruining reputation, job sabotage, or attempts to induce paranoia and self-doubt).

• The alleged goal is often to destroy the person's life — isolate them, cause mental breakdown, drive them to suicide, institutionalization, or make them appear mentally unstable so their claims are dismissed.

These experiences are shared widely in online communities (forums, YouTube videos, social media groups), where individuals post "evidence" like photos of suspicious people/cars, recordings, or patterns they notice. The belief system gained prominence in the early 2000s and has grown through internet connectivity.

Mainstream explanations from psychology, psychiatry, and research (including peer-reviewed studies and forensic analyses) classify gangstalking beliefs as a form of persecutory delusion — a fixed, false belief in organized persecution without verifiable evidence of such large-scale coordination. Studies often find these accounts align with features of delusional disorders, paranoid schizophrenia, or related conditions, especially when involving implausible elements like mass conspiracies using nonexistent or unproven technologies. Online communities can reinforce and amplify these beliefs, sometimes making it harder for individuals to seek or accept mental health support.

While real organized harassment or stalking by groups does occur in specific contexts (e.g., workplace mobbing, certain cases of transnational repression by foreign governments, or targeted intimidation campaigns), large-scale, nationwide "gangstalking" programs matching TI descriptions lack credible, independently verified evidence and are widely regarded as not occurring on the scale claimed.

If someone is experiencing intense fear, surveillance-like sensations, or distress from perceived harassment — whether they interpret it as gangstalking or something else — reaching out to a trusted mental health professional can help address the suffering and provide clarity, regardless of the perceived cause. Resources like crisis hotlines or therapists experienced in trauma/paranoia can be valuable.