Soft Ghosting: Here’s what you need to know about the annoying new dating trend

Catfish, breadcrumbing, gatsbying, ghosting – new dating trends come to complicate your already complicated dating life. Just when you thought it won’t get any worse, there is a new flippant that you have to get used to called soft ghosting. Soft ghosting is when someone likes your message but never actually says anything. This is done so that the person can maintain deniability that they have not ghosted you completely. 

In other words, soft ghosting is ghosting but in a thin veil of subtlety. Soft ghosters are the people who feel bad about completely cutting the connection with someone they are dating. While it may seem polite, it’s not so polite for the person being ghosted. Responding with an emoji to a heartfelt message isn’t adequate engagement, is it? But you need to be sure before you break up with someone because of soft ghosting. 

Here’s everything you need to know about soft ghosting. 

The first step is to make sure you are dealing with soft-ghosting or not. Yes, it can be confusing, which is why you need to know for sure. Here’s what you can do to know if you are being soft ghosted.  

Ask them a direct question that requires them to respond. If they reply with a genuine answer and the conversation picks up, then it’s all good. But in case they ignore the conversation, that should be your cue to leave it at that. 

However, if they respond but the conversation feels half-hearted, then they are clearly soft ghosting you and just trying to be nice. 

How to deal with soft ghosting? 

1- If you didn’t already know, you should draw the line when it comes to soft ghosting. You deserve more than just a “nice” conversation that involves a lot of “hmm” or emojis, and no genuine replies. 

2- Don’t let your feelings keep you stuck with someone who is not interested because someone who cares will show you how much they care and adore you. 

3- Remember someone can miss your message if they are busy. Don’t jump to conclusions only after half-an-hour of messaging them. 

4- Their constant vague messages should be hint enough for you to tell you that they are not interested. It is better to stop now as the longer you will take to understand, the worse you will feel. 

5- If you know that they will not show up in the way you want, it’s time to move on and find someone who will treat you the way you deserve to be treated. 

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