I wonder if this is the result of a digital upbringing. I see the "phone babysitter" often in grocery stores as the parents teach the children not to be where they are. The child ignores their surroundings, engrossed in digital entertainment. They're disconnected. Having said that, as a college student I also ghosted people, but only because I didn't have the skills to honor the friend/boyfriend and was too ashamed to speak my own truth. That's a skill anyone can learn.