What is it about?

Many people who use online dating expect that they might suddenly stop hearing from someone they've been talking to without being given a reason and this phenomenon is called "ghosting." This talk is based on a study which aimed to understand why people ghost on online dating platforms, how it affects them, and what they constitute as ghosting behaviour. We interviewed 12 people in the UK who had ghosted someone on a dating app before. We found that people ghost for various reasons, and it can make them feel a mix of emotions. We also found that there's some confusion about what exactly ghosting means, and interestingly we identified some protective factors that might make ghosting less likely to happen. Based on our findings, we suggest that ghosting should be defined as being a gradual or sudden one-sided ceasing of communication to end the progress of an interaction with another person. While in this talk, we will talk about ways that may reduce you being ghosted, it is unique to the individual, so ghosting is here to stay as it has become a normal part of online dating behaviour.

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Why is it important?

Ghosting is a common phenomenon in online dating platforms, and understanding why it happens and its impact provides insights into the dynamics of online relationships. There's ambiguity around what exactly constitutes ghosting. By providing a clearer definition based on empirical findings, this research helps standardize the understanding of ghosting, which can improve communication and expectations among online daters. Lastly, ghosting can have significant emotional consequences for those who experience it. By delving into the motivations behind ghosting and how it makes people feel, this research sheds light on the emotional toll of online interactions and can help individuals navigate these experiences better.

Perspectives

This was a collaboration with students from the University of Sheffield and staff from various universities. This article was a great way to understand ghosting from the Ghosters perspective, and offered a unique insight into the reasons why people ghost and what behaviours may reduce the likelihood of ghosting. I hope you find this article as interesting as we did - it is an area we are passionate about and really enjoyed writing and conducting this research this as a team.

Nikki Dean Marshall
University of Nottingham

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: “I expect it as part of the kind of package deal when you sign up to these things”—Motivations and experiences of ghosting., Psychology of Popular Media, January 2024, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/ppm0000504.
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