Ghosted: Love Gone Missing is a new MTV show. For those who are curious, it is focused on participants tracking down their former lovers, friends, and family members for the purpose of finding out why they were ghosted, thus explaining why people have been comparing the show to Catfish. With that said, the two shows are not one and the same, meaning that Ghosted: Love Gone Missing possesses its own particular appeal. Here are 10 things that you may or may not have known about Ghosted: Love Gone Missing:
1. Centered on the Concept of Ghosting
Ghosted: Love Gone Missing is centered on the concept of ghosting. For those who are unfamiliar, ghosting is when someone who is believed to be a loved one cuts off contact while providing no explanation for their behavior whatsoever. This kind of thing is known to have happened in the past. However, ghosting seems to have seen a huge increase in use, so much so that about half of all men and women have been ghosted at some point in their lives. Even worse, these incidents of ghosting aren’t being carried out by a small number of serial ghosters but rather by a similar name of men and women.
2. Ghosting Is a Product of the Internet
The reason that ghosting has become so popular seems to be because of the Internet. In the past, most people would’ve been acquainted with other people through real life, which in turn, meant that they would share a fair number of mutual acquaintances. As a result, if they cut off contact with someone, they could expect serious social consequences because of those mutual acquaintances. On top of that, it tends to be much, much easier to find someone a person knows in real life than someone a person knows over the Internet, meaning that cutting off contact was also a much, much more complicated and time-consuming endeavor in pre-Internet times.
3. Ghosting Encourages Ghosting
To an extent, ghosting is a self-perpetuating phenomenon. Essentially, ghosting is very simple in modern times, thus increasing the chances of it being carried out. However, the more times that a person as well as the people in their circle of acquaintances have been ghosted, the more jaded that they become towards the concept. This is problematic because that sense of jadedness can increase their chances of ghosting someone else, thus continuing the cycle.
4. Most People Who Ghost Do So Because of Their Lack of Consideration for Others
No doubt that there are some people who choose to ghost others because of a sense of malice. However, for the most part, the people who ghost others do so because they are so focused on avoiding their own emotional discomfort that they spare little thought for the person being ghosted. Even when they do think about it, their priorities make it very easy for them to justify their bad behavior, with examples of common excuses ranging from “It is the nicest option” to “I am not to blame because this is a product of a toxic dating culture.”
5. Ghosting Can Be Pretty Devastating
Unsurprisingly, ghosting can be pretty devastating to the person being ghosted because it inspires feelings of being used, of not being wanted, and of not being respected. The consequences can be particularly bad when the ghosting happens to someone who already has low self-esteem because that makes it much more difficult for them to overcome the feelings inspired by the incident.
6. Ghosting From Long-Time Acquaintances Hurts the Most
Perhaps unsurprisingly, ghosting hurts the most when it is carried out by long-term acquaintances. This is because that comes with the sense of being betrayed by someone who was trusted before the incident. In contrast, being ghosted by a new acquaintance leaves much less of an impact. Certainly, it is rude and offensive, but it isn’t exactly an emotional gut-punch in the same way that being ghosted by a long-time friend or family member can be. Simply put, being ghosted is painful because social rejection activates the same pathways in the brain as physical pain.
7. Two Hosts
Ghosted: Love Gone Missing has two hosts. One is Rachel Lindsay, who should be most familiar to interested individuals because she is the sole Bachelorette in the long-running franchise. The other is Travis Mills, a one-time MySpace rapper who has since become a radio host on Apple Music’s Beats 1.
8. Both of the Hosts Have Been Ghosted
Both of the hosts for the show have been ghosted. This provides them with a shared basis of understanding that serves to connect them with the people who participate on the show. With that said, that basis wouldn’t be much use if it wasn’t for the fact that the two seem to be pretty empathetic, which is also critical for connecting with other people in a meaningful manner.
9. Focused on the Confrontation
The episodes cover a fair amount of information collected by looking at the social media pages of the person who did the ghosting as well as other sources. However, there can be no doubt about the fact that the big moment is when the two parties are convinced to meet in real life so that they can present their respective view point, think on it, and then make a decision about whether they should continue to remain out of contact or resume speaking with one another once more.
10. There Have Been Some Concerns About the Romanticization of Stalking
Apparently, there have been some concerns about the potential for Ghosted: Love Gone Missing to romanticize stalking, which is perhaps unsurprising considering its core concept. However, the show has been relatively responsible when it come to its participants, meaning that those concerns seem to have been unfounded. Sure, Ghosted: Love Gone Missing might veer in a bad direction in the future on this particular issue, but it is rather unfair to say the least to condemn shows for something that could happen in the times to come.
Follow Us
