Atlanta may be the city too busy to hate, but it isn’t too busy to ghost. Ghosting—where someone cuts off all communication without explanation—is on the rise. And no, it’s not restricted to the dating scene.
📍 What We Know: More than half of Atlanta’s residents have ghosted someone in the last year. On average, folks here decide to vanish on 3.5 people annually and get ghosted nearly as often themselves. It’s not just social lives feeling the chill—ghosting is creeping into professional spaces too.
💼 Job Field Haunting: A shocking 61 percent of job seekers report being ghosted by potential employers. Meanwhile, 35 percent of applicants have done the same to employers. It’s the professional equivalent of leaving someone standing alone at the altar.
📞 Social Spector: In friendships, 65 percent of people say they’ve been ghosted in the past year. And if you’re hoping for a happy ending, only a quarter have managed to reconcile with their phantom friends.
👻 Why People Ghost: What’s driving this modern disappearing act? 50 percent say they’re just avoiding conflict. After all, why bother resolving issues and preserving friendships when you can just vanish because somebody committed a minor social faux pas?
Another 21 percent cite toxic behavior as the reason for their vanishing act.
🤔 Why It Matters: Ghosting is changing how we interact, not just in our social lives but in our workplaces too. These silent exits leave emotional and professional opportunities hanging in the balance. So, Atlanta, before you pull a Houdini, think about the haunting impact.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
