Ghosting: On Disappearance

Description

In Ghosting: On Disappearance, Dominic Pettman offers a provocative cultural analysis of one of the most pervasive yet understudied phenomena of our time: the act of disappearing. From romantic relationships to social media, ghosting has become a defining feature of contemporary life, yet we rarely examine what it means or why it occurs.

Pettman traces the genealogy of disappearance across multiple domains—digital communication, political discourse, and personal relationships—to understand how vanishing has become normalized in modern society. He explores the psychological, social, and technological dimensions that enable and encourage people to simply fade away rather than engage in difficult conversations or commitments.

This thought-provoking work challenges readers to consider ghosting not merely as a dating app phenomenon but as a symptom of deeper cultural anxieties about presence, commitment, and responsibility in an increasingly mediated world.