An alarming trend has grown in notoriety these days, and no, this one isn’t poisoning our youth. It’s poisoning everyone, and we can’t even see it until it’s too late.
‘Ghosting’ is the process of ending a relationship by virtually disappearing. This means cutting off all forms of communication, blocking profiles, and even creating new ones to avoid someone, sometimes without reason or justification. Many of us can cite examples or are even guilty of ghosting, which makes it that much worse.
In the past, ghosting was simple. Countless people can attest to being stood up for dates, never to hear from their potential love interest again. Rejection is difficult regardless of how it happens, but in social media and the age of public profiles, the effort it takes to disappear from someone has grown exponentially. If you have an account on all the major platforms and are trying to disconnect from someone close, that’s a lot of blocking, deleting, and privacy-preference switching just to not talk to someone.
Ohhh, if only it was this easy.
Let’s not forget the person being ghosted. With self-esteems hinged on every like, comment, and share, ghosting can have some serious mental side effects. When personal feelings get involved, ghosting can lay waste to a person’s sense of trust, belief, and optimism. Rejection alone is tough enough to deal with, but try ripping away someone you care about in the process. Like rubbing salt in a fresh wound, the brain has trouble processing it all at the same time, and it’s not an ideal outcome.
If you think this is a tactic limited to personal relationships, think again. The job market has rebounded plenty from the depths of 2009, and this article seems to think that’s the problem. Instead of receiving multiple offers and rejecting potential employers that don’t match, recruits are ghosting managers and directors to avoid awkward conversations. Not only does this severely hamper job search efforts for employers, but it could also open the door to potential backlash. If something falls through and you need to reach back out, there’s no guarantee that an employer you ghosted is going to pick the phone up again.
Can you imagine, people get MULTIPLE JOB OFFERS? And BLOW THEM OFF? Sickening.
From a brand perspective, ghosting your clientele isn’t ideal either. If your company or organization has a social profile, keep it up to date! ‘Going dark’ are lethal words in our low attention-span world. The less you’re staying in front of potential customers, the worse your brand is doing. There are a few instances where ghosting can be beneficial, but unless you’re launching a major rebranding effort or cooking up something noteworthy, keep posting!
If you don’t like something, say something. The truth can hurt sometimes, but it’s better to give someone closure than to string them along and waste their time searching for answers. Managers and job recruiters are people too, and if they took the time to reach out and show interest, you should give them the time of day to politely decline if you’re not feeling it. If you can’t set up a content calendar or a posting schedule for your brand, try some digital advertising! Spend a little money, and your posts will stay in front of your target audience as long as you need them to be. If you want to know how that part works, reach out to ChatterBlast and our team would be happy to help you.
Don’t let ghosting be a part of your personal or professional strategy!
