Getting Zombied: Is The New Dating Trend Worse Than Being Ghosted?

Zombieing is a newly coined dating term that refers to the act of someone who previously ghosted you suddenly returning into your life.

Ghosting is when someone suddenly disappears without any warning or explanation, leaving the other person feeling hurt and confused. However, zombieing is essentially the opposite of ghosting, which may make the person happy to see the person again. This trend is becoming increasingly popular due to lockdowns and social distancing.

What Is Being Zombied?

Singer-songwriter Mariel Darling recently disclosed a new dating phenomenon on TikTok, very similar to the common belief that ghosting is a negative trend. The newly identified trend is known as "zombieing" and has gained widespread notoriety in the dating world.

She informed her 255,900 followers on the social media platform that instead of being ghosted, she was being zombied.

Zombieing refers to the act of someone reappearing after a period of absence. There are two categories of zombies: those who were past romantic partners and those who were mere casual dates. Zombie exes are former lovers who were eliminated completely from an individual’s life. This is done through means such as removing old photographs, deleting messages, and clearing all social media accounts of any hint of their existence. Just when the person is about to move on from them, these exes resurface from the dead and attempt to reconnect.

Individuals who previously ignored your calls or messages, also called "casual zombies," suddenly resurface during quarantine or after experiencing another failed relationship.

Zombieing someone is highly inappropriate because when you suddenly exit someone's life, they find it difficult to cope with the situation, and this impacts their self-esteem. Considering any effort to reach out to you will only fail, they attempt to forget about you. However, when you reappear in their life, it is unfair to them. This behaviour is emotionally unsound and violates ethical principles. The emotions experienced when someone disappears and then reappears can be a mix of hope and pain, as it can trigger anxiety about being abandoned again. It is, therefore, important to consider values in such situations.

Photo credit: Pixby

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