It is one of their many tools of their trade so to speak. It's there way to ensure that they still maintain some element of control over you. They do it to attempt to get you to respond but when you totally ignore them, they will eventually (very evetually) give up. The more you respond then the more they feel like they still have control over you. It simply turns out to become yet another vicious circle. Get out there and make some like-minded friends of your own genuine type of interests to emotionally bolster your own confidence.