Ghosting: Generation Z’s Normalized Epidemic

By Gabe Kanae

It’s fair to say that almost everybody reading this article has intense experiences with ghosting, the practice of someone never responding to your messages, calls or any other form of communication as a way to ignore and get out of a situation.

Unfortunately, we have normalized this practice so intensely that the impact of it is hardly even mentioned and the concept of doing it has become the norm.

Those like me, with high levels of anxiety and other mental health issues, have a hard time understanding ghosting culture. We tend to not comprehend the message sent through ghost ing because it is so indirect and unexplainable.

When we do comprehend it however, it brings a massive amount of pain and anxiety due to never having answers or closure to the situation. People with such high amounts of anxiety begin to blame themselves or find other self-deprecating ways to ex cuse this behavior, which leads to worsened self-worth and love.

I’ve heard many examples of people either considering, or losing their lives because of the impact of ghosting. It’s a cowardly way for a person to handle a situation. It is never the answer unless you have al ready tried multiple forms of cutting someone off.

For example, ghosting could be a reasonable ac tion when you tell someone multiple times you no longer want to talk to them, but they continue to reach out and spam your inbox. Then, you may have a reason because you have addressed the situ ation and explained how you feel.

Ghosting when you see someone’s looks and lose inter est is not a way to handle the situation, nor is it an acceptable way to break up with somebody or end any relationship. If you are involved in a complicated situation with someone and no longer want to be connected, you should find a way to handle it in a way that shows respect to both sides.

Breaking up with somebody or ending an affair via ghosting is a heavily harmful way of handling a situation because that person cares deeply. Disappearing leaves them with no closure and forces them to reevaluate what they did wrong and how what they did was so bad you couldn’t even talk to them about ending the situation.

My experiences with ghosting have been very hurtful and painful. It has created a mass amount of self-hate and confusion for me, and the consequences of it are ones that take years to fix. Many people on dating apps or social media will ghost someone for any small reason and leave the other person hanging. It’s a very toxic action.

Another reason to not ghost is because communication with the other party could resolve the situation and allow things to continue onward. Expressing your feelings and emotions is a massive part of respect and maturity that all adults should have. It’s also simple human decency to treat someone with the same respect you would want back to you. If you’ve ghosted somebody for a reason that isn’t logical, you Ghosting has shown more than ever that Generation Z is less mature than they claim. Joining into the action of ghosting is simply just proving you are not fit for any form of relationship and that you are not considerate of other people’s feelings.

Generation Z started to find ways to make ghosting a more acceptable form of communication and rejection. In reality, it’s just a way to prevent and hide yourself from confrontation. If you cannot handle a situation without attempting to hide or take accountability, it says a lot about your personal im-

Many people who get ghosted end up feeling very out-of-the-loop and depressed. They are never given closure. The person who hurt them is also never forced to take accountability or deal with the consequences they forced onto you because they couldn’t explain their emotions or feelings to

If you tend to ghost someone, even if it’s because of your personality or social and mental health, consider the consequences even if they won’t hurt you. Ghosting is almost never acceptable and anyone who has given into Gen

Z’s latest social epidemic should consider the damages made and apologize.

Though I may have scars that will last me for many years, the Bird scooters truly are an exciting and fun way to travel. They offer affordable use to those in the community who are suffering from a lack of transportation methods and provide it in a fun and engaging way. Overall, the scooters have improved the lives, but also harmed the healthy skin, of many as well.

Opinions expressed in The Nevada Sagebrush are solely those of the author and do not necessarily express the views of The Sagebrush or its staff. Gabe Kanae is a student at the University of Nevada studying journalism. They can be reached at gkanae@sagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @Nevada Sagebrush

The Danger Of Anonymity –UNR’s YikYak Dilemma

By Gabe Kanae

Starting in the fall semester of 2021, a new app quickly hit top charts among college students –YikYak. The social media platform gives emoji pseudonyms to all of its users and allows them to comment and share posts to a local community of the app users completely anonymously.

Iit didn’t take long before students showed the app to their friends as a way to anonymously share and communicate about the college experience here at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Though the idea seems enticing and important, the damage created by the app has outweighed all of its advantages.

College students tend to be a slightly more mature version of high school seniors – or so you would think. Most college students – especially those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic – tend to lack the social skills to understand how society works and the consequences of their actions.

Giving them access to an app of this scale and power was just a disaster in the making.

By the spring semester of 2022, it is fair to say that the majority of students on campus had the app or knew about the app. There were multiple posts made eve ry minute that talk about classes, homework and even the toxic hookup culture on campus. The big gest issue with this app however is the lack of consequences.

Due to the apps anonymity, anyone on campus could spread reputation ruining rumors about a students sex life, social life and health.

Within the first week of school starting this fall, UNR’s YikYak already received hundreds of sexually themed comments and posts targeting mostly women. The app’s biggest issue is the lack of censorship and protection over those who become victims to it. The posts mostly consist of trashing other students’ looks, outfits, personalities and trends that in result cause students to be more depressed, self-conscious, afraid of the campus’s environment and the people around them.

Another issue that arises here is the amount of content being posted. It is fair to say that the majority of YikYak posts are built off simple lies and manipulated experiences. When a post with sexual, social and trending themes get upvoted, other students begin to feel left out of the college experience they desire.

If the majority of posts on the social media app were true, it could easily be assumed that most college students on campus are hooking up, drinking, doing drugs and having endless fun with friends all day every day. Seeing these posts when a student is simply studying or trying to enjoy time for themselves can easily further their fear of missing out.

If we are looking at college students from a grounded perspective, the majority of them are not consistently out every night trying to do something incredibly fun. A lot of students still spend their nights and days at work, working on homework, understanding their mental health issues and simply trying to relax before the next day.

The app’s uprising has caused many students to feel out of place and sometimes even attacked my anonymous peers. Some students have expressed a decline in their mental health due to the app, which surprisingly created a popular persona for them. The persona would receive a mix of emotions and spiral into a new hybrid of cyberbullying and bullying in person. It’s hard to know who your buillies and enemies on YikYak are when they can be anyone on campus. It discourages students from being active in social events on campus due to fear.

YikYak as an app itself should not be banned on campus. It is a great way for a community of students to come together and share how different the college experience is for everyone, and it can prove to a student that they are not alone in their struggles.

Anyone can say anything on the app without consequences except the person who is targeted. It is a scary thought to understand. If it is abused too much, it could lead to a disastrous event.

Instead of spreading rumors and lies, can students contribute to the app in a way that can have a positive effect on everyone who sees it?

Opinions expressed in The Nevada Sagebrush are solely those of the author and do not necessarily express the views of The Sagebrush or its staff. Gabe Kanae is a student at the University of Nevada studying journalism. They can be reached at gkanae@sagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @Nevada Sagebrush

Pack Provisions will be closed every Saturday starting 05/06/2023 and will not reopen on Saturdays until Fall Semester.

Our operation hours are Monday Thursday 9am-6pm.

Starting May 15, summer hours for Pack Provisions will be Monday-Friday 8am-5pm.

Pack Provisions is the on-campus food pantry that serves the University of Nevada, Reno community. This is a completely free resource that is available for all members of the Wolf Pack to utilize whenever they are in need. This resource can be accessed by students, sta , and faculty. Our pantry is located inside of the Center for Student Engagement, which is on the third oor of the Joe Crowley Student Union.