‘Orbiting’ Is Ruining Modern Dating — And You’re Probably Guilty Of It
These days, it feels as though there are so many different ways to be dumped in the modern dating scene.
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By Lacey Ramburger
These days, it feels as though there are so many different ways to be dumped in the modern dating scene.
At one point in time, if a person was interested in someone, they had to say so explicitly. If they didn’t, you accepted they did not want to pursue a romantic connection. However, modern dating has proven that there are plenty of ways to be led on or hopelessly confused. New names for dating behaviors seem to pop up daily, from soft ghosting to bread-crumbing.
However, while some of these methods we swear we would never participate in (I don’t think I’ve ever been able to actually ghost someone in my entire life), others feel a bit sneakier. They feel so small you may not notice it at first, but the results still make more of an impact than we care to admit.
One of those behaviors? Orbiting.
Orbiting is the practice of somewhat ghosting a person — except on social media. While the person may no longer text or have any kind of contact with you like they once did, they will still interact with your social media posts. Usually, this happens through liking posts, viewing, or even occasionally “reacting” to a story with a singular, useless emoji, “orbiting” essentially ensures that the person who left you hanging doesn’t ever fully go away.
In some cases, this can be more than confusing. If they no longer want to be part of your life in a genuine way, why are they still checking in on you? The answers aren’t entirely conclusive.
For some, the idea of unfollowing a person feels too harsh, so they remain mutuals to keep things friendly. Others don’t necessarily want to put in the effort of being with you, but they want to keep you close by in case they change their mind. Some may even regret letting you go in the first place and hope that their name continuously popping up will solidify their place in your mind — even if they refuse to be in your life. Or maybe, in a reversal, you no longer were interested in the person and ended things, but…
