So I found this hilarious. Today I was messaged by someone with pretty obvious narcissistic tendencies for those who know the signs. “Hey, could you stop engaging me in conversation on [social media platform]?” Maybe during the Obama years, the conversation would’ve ended there. But in 2025, it’s important to ask follow-up questions. My response: “This is social media. We have a mutually agreed connection. Do you want to change that? We could always not be connected.” They replied with something like, “I just get too many emails. I’m super popular and important. I consider myself retired. I’m only here to talk to people I want to talk to.” So I asked again, “Do you want to disconnect?” But they don’t want to disconnect. They want to stay linked while pretending to be above it all. They want the symbolic value of connection without the inconvenience of actual interaction. It’s performative distance, and it’s honestly kind of sad. This isn’t someone setting a boundary. This is someone quietly begging to be messed with. So I’ve decided to keep engaging. One small message a day. A meme. A quote. A quick hello. Just enough to remind them that silence is a choice they haven’t made yet. If you want to leave the room, leave. But don’t sit in the corner loudly insisting you’re not part of the conversation. That’s not strength. That’s confusion disguised as control. They’re not too busy. They’re just uncomfortable with the idea that mutual connection requires mutual presence. I’m interpreting this as a cry for help. And I’m here to answer that cry, one notification at a time. Until the point that they disconnect/unfollow/unfriend me or block me, because if you want access to my network, we're going to have conversations