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Jan 15, 2026
Dominic Pettman, a media professor and author, and Lizzie Post, etiquette expert and co-president of the Emily Post Institute, explore the evolving dynamics of ghosting. They discuss how technology has reshaped human interaction, making ghosting more prevalent and psychologically challenging. Personal anecdotes reveal the emotional fallout of disappearing acts. Lizzie provides etiquette tips for managing digital communication and responds to listener stories about ghosting's complexities, urging understanding and practical boundary-setting.
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Digital Presence Creates Spectral Relationships
- Ghosting grew with digital tools that make presence ambiguous and easy to withdraw from.
- Dominic Pettman argues media creates spectral relationships where absence can loom larger than closure.
Social Overload Normalizes Disappearance
- Ghosting's normalization stems from social overload and limited attention.
- Dominic Pettman links the rise of ghosting to juggling far more relationships than humans evolved for.
Third Date Disappears, Late Apology
- Mark went on a third date and the woman left the restaurant to feed a meter and never returned.
- She apologized two and a half years later, but the delayed apology did little to heal the wound.
