Live Poster Session: Zoom Link
Abstract:
Since the introduction of online dating around 1995, there has been greater accessibility to meet new people and form more romantic relationships. However, despite the increased accessibility it unfortunately, has simultaneously created a platform in which ghosting has become easier than ever. In the past seven years, there has been a 125 million person increase in dating app users worldwide (Curry, 2022). With an increase in relationship accessibility, ghosting has increased. Ghosting is a strategy used to end a relationship by either suddenly or gradually cutting off all communication without a clear explanation as to why they have ended their communication. The primary aim of this study is to explore the justification of individuals who have been the ghostee only, ghoster only, and both the ghoster and ghostee. Participants were 118 undergraduate students with a mean age of 22.02 years old (SD = 2.04) responded to open-ended questions regarding ghosting experiences. Specifically, they were asked: 1) “Please describe why you ghosted that person” and 2) “why do you think that person ghosted you”. Through qualitative analysis, we were able to assess that disinterest was the most common justification used for both ghosting others and perceived reasons for being ghosted. Additionally, ghosting was commonly used in order to escape the relationship or due to the easy and effective way to terminate the relationship. Future research should focus on how potential dissonance of ghosting might affect adolescents’ emotional development and ability to communicate with their partner.
Sabine-Geary_SPA-Lab-Poster-Spring-22.pptx-1