Ghostbot: The Digital Communication Backlash Technology
What is a ghostbot? And why should you care?
There are more ways to communicate than ever before: text, Facebook chat, WhatsApp, Snapchat, the list goes on. But this multiplicity of options also means there are more ways for those who you might not want to communicate with to get in touch with you. Whether it’s a non-starter from a dating app, an acquaintance who won’t stop texting you, or a Craigslist or Gumtree transaction gone wrong, there are plenty of reasons why some want to cut off communication in a digital setting.
Formally known as “ghosting”, the act of abruptly ending digital communication by simply not writing back ever again, has taken on cultural prominence. Actor Sean Penn reportedly ghosted Charlize Theron at the end of their short relationship, in a move that captured the internet’s attention. Penn’s move was seen as extreme, and indeed there are times when you don’t want to communicate with someone any longer, but perhaps want to let them down a little more gently than a straightforward ‘ghost’.
For this, you might need the bot-responder known has “Ghostbot”, which was recently rolled out by Burner. Burner saw a need for a people to end conversations without having to actually participate in them, and it does this by generating temporary phone numbers to pass on to those you don’t want to keep in touch with long term. It’s potentially colder than a straightforward “ghost”, but the idea is that the person you’re texting won’t even realise that.
So how exactly does this work? As the Guardian explained, “Ghostbot will detect incoming texts from the person you’ve chosen to “ghost” and send automated responses, lacking in warmth of enthusiasm, until the other person takes the hint. For example, if the other person pushes for a date, Ghostbot might reply: “Nope,” “I just have no time right now,” or “Sorry, just me and [pizza emoji] tonight.” This continues until the pestering messages peter out.”
As novel, playful and subversive as it sounds, it’s worth considering what “ghostboting” means for the future of modern communication. With so many requests, have we reached a point where actually choosing to respond to a message as a human rather than a bot will become a sign of much you value the sender? Many fear that our callous disregard for people’s feelings in modern communication are creating a generation of people with bad manners and low sensitivity for other people’s feelings.
One side of the argument is that if the person has no idea they’re being served by a ghostbot, then it’s no harm, no foul. However, if they persist in keeping the conversation going even when it’s going nowhere—which, frankly, anyone who’s ever met an eager suitor on a dating app knows is not too uncommon—they could eventually realise they are speaking to a robot. This could have graver implications than just being ghosted. As Psychology Today reports, “For many people ghosting can result in feelings of being disrespected, used and disposable. If you have known the person beyond more than a few dates then it can be even more traumatic. When someone we love and trust disengages from us it feels like a very deep betrayal.”
Frankly, choosing to ghost—whether by bot or directly—isn’t the nicest way to treat anyone, and it’s certainly not a habit to get into when it comes to day-to-day communication. Using a ghostbot might be hugely beneficial, though, if the person you are dealing with is a troll or has demonstrated little regard for your time. Most modern communicators know a person or two like this, and it might be best to reserve the ghostbot as a last resort.