I guess bookmarking would explain it, but seems like the wrong tool for the job IMO. Forking means you have to do extra work to get the latest version of the code, even if you're not making any local changes. Using the "watch" or "star" feature or an actual bookmark means you'll always go straight to the most up to date version.

> Hell, I even fork repos that I explicitly hate, just so I can keep tabs on them or learn more about them.

I don't know what it means to "hate" a repo, but whatever it means, forking the repo actually means you won't be keeping tabs on them because your personal fork will have no activity until you pull from the original. And if you need to go to the original to get updates, why not just go straight there?