It is frequently advantageous to stop communicating with someone, whether as social punishment, avoidance of feelings of awkwardness, or to dissociate yourself from low-status friends. People want these social advantages, but many people prefer not to undergo a “breaking-up” conversation, even when in a non-romantic context. (For obvious reasons: it’s likely to be a conflict-ridden conversation, and their motivations often do not sound noble when explicitly stated.)
Dropping that person like a hot potato is a way to get the social win without the corresponding awkwardness.
It is frequently advantageous to stop communicating with someone, whether as social punishment, avoidance of feelings of awkwardness, or to dissociate yourself from low-status friends. People want these social advantages, but many people prefer not to undergo a “breaking-up” conversation, even when in a non-romantic context. (For obvious reasons: it’s likely to be a conflict-ridden conversation, and their motivations often do not sound noble when explicitly stated.)
Dropping that person like a hot potato is a way to get the social win without the corresponding awkwardness.