LADIES. Imagine this: You’re in high school. You meet a boy. He’s vaguely attractive. You go on a date. You start falling for him. You go home. You text him. He leaves you on read. He hasn’t texted you since. You are faced with the not-quite age old dilemma: to double text or not to double text. You do. He doesn’t. You’ve been ghosted.

This has become the controversial standard among young adults and teens. Losing interest? Save yourself the stress of human decency and kill yourself off from the love story. This, understandably, leaves many haunted — please excuse the pun — with a lack of closure. Was it something you did? Did they meet someone else? Did they run away to Iceland? You’ll never know. They are dead to you now. 

It seems like the Digital Age has spared us from the sense of responsibility associated with face to face contact. If you don’t have to look someone in the eye, then it’s almost like you never knew them in the first place. “I definitely think that technology has had a huge impact on the way we date,” said senior Kevin Lockhart. “It’s a lot more casual and you overthink everything.”

Texts, Snaps, and DMs are notoriously difficult to interpret. The ways in which you can read these messages can range from chill to excited to “definitely hates you.” So much is left up for interpretation that simply texting your object of affection can become an interaction bursting with anxiety and self consciousness. Many would assign being ghosted as one of the most stressful experiences in modern times. “It’s hard to tell if you’ve been ghosted or if they are just busy,” said junior Tabitha Randklev. “Then a week goes by and you have to accept that they just aren’t texting back.”

Pretty much everyone agrees that ghosting is rude and disrespectful and yet a majority of us have ghosted someone for one reason or another. “Most people just don’t want to tell someone they don’t like them directly so they just stop texting back and hope they take the hint,” said senior Samantha Stewart.

Ghosting, like many technological innovations, arose as a matter of convenience. We all agree it’s sucky but we selfishly avoid conflict to the detriment of other peoples’ already fragile self esteem. I can’t exactly tell you not to do it “or else” because, let’s face it, I can’t do anything. But I do implore my fellow students to reconsider next time you leave someone on “Read.”