Disappearing in the Age of Hypervisibility: Definition, Context, and Perceived Psychological Consequences of Social Media Ghosting

Ghosting has emerged at the intersection of technology/social media use and relationship dissolution. The term has received substantial attention within popular media, but there is limited empirical research on this phenomenon. The primary purpose of the present qualitative study was to explore the definition of, and motives for, ghosting, as well as to assess the role of technology/social media in ghosting, and the perceived consequences of ghosting for both the ghoster and the ghostee. Participants were 76 emerging adults at university (70% female; M-age = 19.98 years old, SD = 1.28), who participated in a focus group session. Results of thematic analysis of narrative responses indicated distinct motives for, and consequences of, ghosting for the ghoster versus the ghostee. Overall, technology/social media was thought to play an integral role in perpetuating ghosting mostly because of the ease of connecting with others but also because of the element of anonymity and surveillance that it allows. Overall, the perceived psychological consequences of ghosting were generally positive for the ghoster and negative for the ghostee. Notably, most participants had experienced ghosting both as ghoster and ghostee, which highlights the need for future research to delineate the roles of personality characteristics versus relationship contexts in predicting ghosting attitudes and behaviors.