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You’re probably well aware of the “ghosting” phenomenon tormenting you and the rest of your carefree millennial friends. For those of you who are already tied down or don’t read this site on a regular basis, ghosting is the incredibly ballsy act of ending a relationship by cutting off all ties and communication with the other person. It’s the Irish Goodbye of the dating game, and according to a study conducted by the dating service Plenty Of Fish, 80% of millennial singles have been ghosted.
Seems like a high number, given that it’s lazy, weak and cowardly, but in the age of safe spaces, I guess that’s to be expected. Luckily for us, we’ve got a new take on that phenomenon, and it’s just plain cold blooded. Haunting.
Haunting, the logical next step after ghosting, is basically the act of indirectly reminding your ex that you’re still alive by hitting their average Instagram with a double-tap (assuming it still shows up on your feed), liking their sanctimonious Facebook posts, or just viewing their Snap story so your name pops up when they check their opens. That’s pretty cutthroat to just go silent on someone but still put out a faint “I still kinda care” vibe.
It’s full blown mental warfare, and for that reason, haunting is as bad if not worse than ghosting because of our natural way of overthinking things. One minute you’re posting a top-tier ‘gram, showing the world that you’re moving on with your life, and then bam – the third like is from that girl you went on three dates with and haven’t heard from in two months. Only 3 likes after 5 minutes, too. That’s tough. You’ll spend the next 30 minutes wondering if she was mocking your awkward smile, or if she’s genuinely happy to see that you’re at brunch like every other dude you know. Shit, has she moved on? Before you know it, your day has been torpedoed by a fucking like, and she’ll be in your head every time you post something on social media. She’s in your head, and she’s not even paying rent.
Nathan McAlone at Business Insider dove deep into the burgeoning trend, even talking to an admitted “haunter” who owned up to the fact that he was partaking in the act to keep open the possibility of a future rendezvous. So basically tossing your ex a “Hey, I’m still here in case you were wondering.” I guess that’s always a possible motive for some, but I’m going to err on the side of people are just assholes and don’t care about other people’s feelings.
Modern dating is hell thanks to social media, so my advice would be to steer clear if you don’t have thick skin. Or just block them. .
[via Business Insider]
Image via Shutterstock
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Dave
Lawyer. Writer. Dude doing business. I'm the meatloaf guy from tv.
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I hate how much I love how mean this is.
Calling it the Irish Goodbye of the dating game makes it sound a lot better, actually.
As an avid Irish exit advocate, I refuse to be associated with this millennial clap trop
I don’t know, man. I like to incorporate an Irish exit into my life every week just to keep people on their toes and I think this just makes it even easier.
Work, dates, weddings, church, unwanted guests, shut out baseball games. Irish exits are the perfect solution to all of these problems.
Irish exiting out of work or any work related function is the best high I get.
Irish exit on a date? That’s ballsy right there.
I’ve been off all social media for two months (best decision I’ve ever made) except for Snapchat and I always see my ex look at my stories. I hope she enjoys seeing wonderful pictures of all the food I eat.
I submitted this. You robbed me. You’re a marked man Dave.
didn’t see it. deFries tossed me the lead.
My ex does this, then posts passive-aggressive text-only Instagram pictures about my newfound liberation after being tied down by that sandbagging bitch for 3 years. It feels phenomenal.
Referring to someone you went on three dates with as an “ex” seems like a stretch, but I see what you’re getting at. Different strokes for different folks I guess
He loved her man.
I accidentally pulled this once by letting LinkedIn make a connection request with an ex based on email address imports. It was brutal and I still feel bad years later. Screw you, LinkedIn.
Is it sorta savage or absolutely savage that I just posted the link to this article with the comment “enjoy!” on a guy’s Facebook wall who’s been “haunting” me for like 3 months? If it’s wrong, then I don’t wanna be right!
Guilty
This reminds me of why I hate people.