Date of Award
Spring 2024
Document Type
Honors Project
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Communication and Digital Studies
Department Chair or Program Director
Rao, Anand
First Advisor
Goldman, Adria
Major or Concentration
Communication and Digital Studies
Abstract
Ghosting is used as a relationship dissolution strategy to effectively end communication with someone, particularly with the increase of digital technology. There are various reasons why someone may decide to ghost, but many everyday definitions about ghosting often paint it as a negative social practice while simultaneously comforting the ghostee. These everyday definitions are not accurate, and past literature suggests there can be benefits to ghosting. In a content analysis of ghosting definitions, three key searches, “ghosting,” “ghosting relationship,” and “ghosting reason” were examined under three themes and two subthemes to see if they had negative or positive connotations towards the practice. Findings suggest that everyday Internet searches of ghosting will portray it as negative even if ghosting can be situational. Recommendations for future research include looking into reasons why people ghost and offering more encompassing definitions of ghosting.
Recommended Citation
Keffer, Dayton, "How Ghosting is Perceived as a Relationship Dissolution Strategy in the Digital Age: A Content Analysis of Everyday Definitions of Ghosting" (2024). Student Research Submissions. 576.
https://scholar.umw.edu/student_research/576