From Ghosting to Haunting

Ghosting: "The act of suddenly ceasing all communication with someone the subject is dating, but no longer wishes to date. This is done in hopes that the ghostee will just "get the hint" and leave the subject alone, as opposed to the subject simply telling them he/she is no longer interested. Ghosting is not specific to a certain gender and is closely related to the subject's maturity and communication skills. Many attempt to justify ghosting as a way to cease dating the ghostee without hurting their feelings, but it in fact proves the subject is thinking more of themselves, as ghosting often creates more confusion for the ghostee than if the subject kindly stated how he/she feels." - Urban Dictionary

This is a term that is used in our everyday lives so frequently now that is nearly commonplace. Most of us can say that we either have ghosted someone, have been ghosted ourselves, or even both. The fact of the matter is it's crazy if you think about it. However, there is a new trend called "Haunting".... Which truth be told is a little worse then ghosting, and in my opinion can be creepy.

The definition of haunting is: "A variation of ghosting, in which the ghoster continues indirect contact with the ghosted by liking and faveing his or her social media content." - Urban Dictionary (sorry for the "faveing" guys it's urban dictionary).

How did haunting even become a thing? Was it because people were too lazy to actually remove people they talked to off of their Snapchat/social media, and someone got bored? Or is this really a way to keep an eye on a person that you like without it being too obvious?

I personally know that I hardly ever remove someone from my Snapchat, and it takes a lot for them to become blocked. However, this term "haunting" makes total sense. I admit I have ghosted people and have kept them on my social media, I assumed that if I hurt their feelings they would have removed me and problem solved. This is not the case. More often than not I have found that if you allow them to linger on your social media they will think it is okay to make contact with you again (and again).

Word of advice: If you don't want people "haunting" you, remove them, or block them, whatever you have to do. If you are a person that is "haunting" someone....it is time to move on. Let's think of this logically: haunting is the same thing as stalking, just done through social media. It may be innocent, but there is a fine line. If someone expresses they do not wish to have contact with you, take a line from Frozen and "Let it go".