Orbiting
Etymology
From "orbit" — the person circles at a fixed distance, close enough to observe but never landing. The term was named and popularized by the writer Anna Iovine in a 2018 article for the site Man Repeller. The astronomical metaphor captures the gravitational strangeness of someone who neither leaves nor approaches.
noun · /OR-bit-ing/
Staying present in someone’s online life — watching their stories, liking old posts — after cutting off direct communication with them.
What it names
The confusing limbo of being watched by someone who won’t actually talk to you, a state that only social media makes possible, and gives the watched person a word for their unease.
Example
We haven’t spoken in months, but he’s the first to view every story — he’s just orbiting at this point.
Related idea
Ghosting is a full disappearance; orbiting is the eerier hybrid where the person vanishes from conversation but lingers as a silent spectator.