Have You Ever Been 'Orbited' By An Ex? (Spoiler: You Definitely Have.)

‘Orbiting is the perfect word for this experience because right now I’m so annoyed I wish I could launch him into space.’

You know when your ex continues following you avidly on social media, likes all your posts, watches all your Insta-stories immediately and yet never says anything about it? Well, yeah. That has a word now and it’s perfect - it’s called ‘orbiting’.

The phrase was coined by Anna Iovine over at Man Repeller who used her own experience to describe what it was and it’s one I relate to on an almost painful level. She met a guy called Tyler on a dating app a few months ago and after things seemed to be going well, they added each other on social media. Then he promptly ghosted her. But still, he remained her biggest social media fan.

FRUSTRATING. And yet, something that I know has happened not just to me but many of my pals. (You know who you are.)

Anna’s friend Vanessa, who had also been put our feelings into words when she wrote, ‘Orbiting is the perfect word for this experience because right now I’m so annoyed I wish I could launch him into space.’

But why do people do it? Well, Anna’s pal Philip had some insight into the situation.

He said, ‘Guys seem to do it when they want to keep their options open, which is a common theme with online dating.’

Boy, bye. We get dating around and that a couple of dates isn’t tantamount to exclusivity, but get outta our social media if you’re not going to act on anything. Social media is stressful enough without having old flames hovering over you all the time.

Orbiting is one of the latest gross dating trends to hit the sphere (or at least, the latest to finally be named and shamed). While we've all heard of somebody who's been ghosted before, there's new things we're struggling to keep up with like zombieing, submarining, cushioning and stashing. And surprise: they're all crap.

To be honest, we’re not sure what’s worse. To be out and out ghosted, or to be ghosted then orbited.

What do you guys think?

Megan is a freelance journalist who covers entertainment and all things lifestyle, with a particular passion for fashion, beauty, travel and Keanu Reeves stories. She has previously worked on staff for titles including Marie Claire UK, CNN Style and The Evening Standard and has written for titles such as Bustle UK, Wallpaper*, Forbes and Hong Kong Tatler. She splits her time between London and her hometown Hong Kong, where she currently lives with the love of her life - an elderly dog named Poppy - and her husband.