A woman dives into the confusing vacuum created by an unanswered text

Another example of Poe's Law at work. The article is The Five Stages of Ghosting Grief: A woman dives into the confusing vacuum created by an unanswered text by Rachel Fields. I saw it on the front page and, through sheer horror, had to click through. Was this click bait for the shallow, self-absorbed, vapid, wealthy, female New York Times reader? A vein of their content which is widely reviled. Or was I misunderstanding the headline and there was actually something cognitively respectable in the piece?

Having clicked through and read the piece, I cannot decide whether it is pure parody of that for which the NYT is reviled, or is it a serious piece? Thinking I must be obtuse, I click into the comments to see how readers are responding. There are a good number who are taking it at face value as, essentially, an advice column. There are others who see it as the drivellings of an unhealthy mind and unbalanced personality. And there are others who are trying to put the best face on it and are assuming it must be a humorous parody.

Such confusion among readers reflects poorly on both the writer and the editors.