Have you heard the term "ghosting"?

New term to me too, guess getting old ain’t for sissies ; ). Anyway, no. I was never ghosted. I did have to do a woman friend that way once, but let me explain before you start hating on me. As briefly as I can sum it up, I got a little too close with a female friend from work, some years ago. Had no intention of cheating on my wife, but she was having issues with her hubby, and I think she may have wanted a friends with benefits situation. She moved away, but began writing me letters. My wife has always been a bit jealous of me, don’t know why. Any way, I knew the letter thing had to stop, so I suggested to her doing the email thing. She agreed, and whenever I’d get an email from her, I would delete it and not even look at it. Guess she got the picture, haven’t heard from her in years. I know that was cold and yadda yadda yadda, but I figured it was either that, or continue down the road we were on. I think that ghosting her was the lesser of the two evils. If that makes me an asshole, too bad so sad. At least I didn’t do my wife wrong.

Ghosting is playing a Stealth game without being noticed and without engaging the enemy.

I have heard it used in the context of someone who is not making normal social connections and living just outside the boundaries of society. Example, not having a regular job or residence, not dating or never entering into LTRs. It is someone you cannot pin or chain down into the rat race with the rest of us.

@Areyoukidding me. I’ve never heard that before either.

So I guess there are multiple definitions for this term, that I’ve never heard of.

@ARE_you_kidding_me Same as Kardamom here, this stuff is all new to me. I figured ghosting was what Ghost hunters do.

I guess now it’s called ghosting. I always thought of it as “cutting someone off.”

“Ghosting”, as I understand it, has to do with disappearing on line and in real life without explanation or statement of departure, after a limited amount of interaction. .Most widely used in terms of dating.

I have never ghosted anyone I went out with more than once. I have been ghosted; a few women seemed to evaporate after a second or third date. And a few times I have been out on a “coffee date” initial meeting, and not followed through with anything after that.

I don’t recognize the term, though I might’ve seen it and not known what was meant.

I have had that happen. In fact, one of my first Fluther questions was asking why people do this.

It still seems like pretty rude/unwise behavior except if the person it’s done to really seems to deserve it due to bad behavior or something.

I have found it pretty unpleasant and confusing when it’s been done to me. I try to only ignore people whom I think really really warrant it.