Thanks to social media, dating has come a long way from awkward hangouts at cafes, bars, and late-night diners. With the flick of a finger, we can signify whether we like someone or not and the easiness of finding a significant other has increased tremendously, but at what cost?

There's an impersonal nature to the way dating is mostly done now because of the lack of face-to-face conversation that previous generations relied on to build relationships and trust. We can communicate every minute of every hour of every day of every — you get the picture.

Taking this all into account, it is then questionable when someone you have been seeing for a while begins to contact you less and less. It starts off slowly and you begin to witness odd behavior or signs that do not match up to the usual pace of conversation, but then out of nowhere, your significant other basically vanishes.

If this has happened to you, you have been ghosted.

Ghosting, as defined by Merriam-Webster's dictionary, is the "phenomenon of leaving a relationship of some kind by abruptly ending all contact with the other person..."

Now, I am not a relationship expert, but anyone who objectively views that act as OK needs to assess their life choices. Ghosting is literally one of my biggest pet-peeves and if you've had the misfortune of being on the receiving end of it, I offer my sincerest condolences on behalf of everyone else who has had it happen to them too.

If being ghosted has taught me anything, it's that at least I managed to dodge the bullet of someone who lacks the proper maturity to end an adult relationship the right way. Although you'll be happy to be rid of someone who cowardly avoids confronting their feelings, it still does not make being ghosted any less painful.

SEE ALSO: Ghosting Is Emotional Abuse And Our Generation Needs To Stop Doing It

Before even delving into all the reasons why ghosting is possibly one of the most annoying habits of today's dating culture, allow me to clarify: If you need to ghost someone because they are harassing you after you have clearly expressed your lack of interest or because you feel that you are in danger, then you are totally in your right to do so. With that out of the way, it's time to rant.

One of the most common reasons people give me for ghosting is that they do not want to hurt the other's feelings; however, they obviously did not consider what the effects of just disappearing from that other person's life will do. We know why you left. We now know you're not interested, but that was not the way to do it.

March 2017, I was ghosted by two guys with whom I really thought there was relationship potential. We had a lot in common, we laughed, had similar music tastes, had gone on 5+ dates and butterflies began slowly building in my stomach until suddenly it all just withered away after they left me questioning what happened.

The first guy who vanished eventually ended up apologizing to me a few months earlier and he admitted to not being "strong enough" to let me know that he wasn't in the right place to have a relationship. He supposedly liked me so much he didn't want to break it to me. I appreciated the apology, but that did not change the fact that he left me with a broken self-esteem that took months to rebuild. Every time it takes a little more to trust people, to let my guard down, and to learn to let myself like another person. With the most recent guy I was seeing, I began to notice the red flags.

The flow of text messages started decreasing, plans to hang out were always tentative, and I found myself being the only one to initiate conversation. Unlike last time, I tried to prevent myself from being as hurt; I confronted him and asked him to please not waste my time.

His response?

"U know I like u Ricky."

It's funny how not even two days later, I discovered he was talking to another guy and his presence in my life became nonexistent. While I do not mean to put this specific person on the spot, the problem at hand is much larger than my own.

There's no guilt anymore. People have gotten so accustomed to just viewing us as just another name on a screen and not an actual person with feelings. Though I agree that dating is now more impersonal than it used to be, it doesn't mean we should treat others with disregard just because it's easier to. No matter how guarded I initially was with my first experience, and no matter how confrontational I tried to be about the subject this time around, I still fell for the same old trap. It irks me to no end to think that people see it fit to just end a relationship without notice and move on as nothing happened.

If you are someone who ghosts, think about what you are doing to the other person.

I personally spent time wondering if there was something wrong with me; if there was some unlikable quality that I just could not pinpoint. It hurts to think that someone you trusted could so easily break it. I've read stories of people in year-long relationships that suddenly just disappear! When did telling someone you do not like them become such a burden?

It's unfortunate to admit, but this dating trend is only going to happen more frequently.

Despite all of the emotional suffering, there are some silver linings. You will be more perceptive and emotionally prepared the next time around. You will pick yourself up a little bit easier after every hit. You will come to understand that they are the problem and not you. Ghosting may be turning into a dating norm, but there are still people out there who know how to treat others with respect. As cliché as it sounds, the day will come when you realize that all the trials and tribulations were just preparing you for the right person.

Keep working on yourself, stay positive, and life will reward you.