Ghosting is defined by Urban Dictionary as:
"The act of suddenly ceasing all communication with someone the subject is dating, but no longer wishes to date. This is done in hopes that the ghostee will just "get the hint" and leave the subject alone, as opposed to the subject simply telling them he/she is no longer interested. Ghosting is not specific to a certain gender and is closely related to the subject's maturity and communication skills. Many attempt to justify ghosting as a way to cease dating the ghostee without hurting their feelings, but it in fact proves the subject is thinking more of themselves, as ghosting often creates more confusion for the ghostee than if the subject kindly stated how he/she feels."
As someone who has had their fair share of being the "ghostee" I thought I'd put together a list of thoughts that occur while you're being ghosted.
1. They probably fell asleep, no big deal.
2. Maybe work is really busy.
3. Or they're spending time with their family.
4. I won't text them again until they text me back.
5. Well maybe something's wrong and I should check in.
6. Still nothing, hmm...
7. *Drastically tries to stalk their social media.*
8. *Realizes what's happening.*
9. I thought we were having a nice time.
10. They were so kind before.
11. *Suddenly remembers all of my flaws.*
12. Which one turned them away?
13. Was it all a joke that I wasn't in on?
14. Did I say something rude?
15. I really thought they were having fun
16. We laughed a lot, I don't get it
17. Did I wear too much makeup?
18. It was obviously my haircut.
19. I told them if they weren't interested I'd understand.
20. They could have just told me.
So, as a plea from myself and my fellow ghostee's; please, if you're thinking about ghosting the person you are seeing, reconsider. You really do more harm than good in these situations, and you're not saving anyone any hurt, in fact, you're making it worse for both of you. I can't imagine ghosting being a guilt-free process, and I hope you now realize its effects.