It’s so weird how the phrase “ghosting” means something from what it used to indicate ten years ago. Now when someone ghosts, they stop responding to your texts, or just go poof and vanish for weeks.
I’ve come to dislike ghosters. While I definitely am annoyed with people that pick up on pieces of your life online and decide to obsessively nitpick over it, the opposite is also not fun. It’s not just when someone decides to vanish; its also when they don’t honor a commitment.
Pet Peeves On Volunteer Projects
To expand my creativity and comfort zone, I have joined a few different projects involving mixed media. Game jams allow one to understand what goes into game design, as well as the pressure put upon designers. The same goes for video contests, that involve writing scripts or acting them out.
Most people are upfront if they cannot make a commitment. I’m upfront about it because my schedule can be a little hectic, especially with a wedding reception in the family that has been taking up a lot of headspace. Therefore, if a commitment is not possible, we can accept it and move on; somehow, there are still ghosters.
I have come to dislike ghosting for a volunteer creative project, especially one with a deadline. You get one or two people if doing enough of these projects that decides to blip and vanish. They have a terrible sense of timing about it, deciding to cut off contact just when you think that you have enough support.
Having this happen once is one thing. The first time I was ghosted in such a way, it was for a video contest the year before. We were annoyed but accepted it. This guy was a good friend of mine, and he had never done such a thing in the time that we knew him. It came out of nowhere.
With the game jams I’m doing, the ghosting has repeated a few times. It means that submissions to these contests get delayed, and you may work hard for several days only to find out that your backup support hasn’t been responding. Then you have to shelve it, and hope for another chance to show off the sprites.
My plea to you is that if you overcommit and cannot do a project please do not just vanish. Say outright if you cannot do it, and check your schedule ahead of time when asked. It helps a lot if people know.
It makes me relieved that writing is still a solo act, depending on what you do. If you ghost yourself, it’s called procrastination. And it means you can be honest about your schedule.
