FOMO: Our Strongest Enemy

There are multiple controversial topics in the media, and here you can find some of the blogs concerning other issues, which I find relevant and interesting to discuss.  Social Media Becoming More Than Social Interaction       https://socialinteractionblog.blogspot.com      People nowadays prefer to use social media than have a face-to-face discussion, and this has become a real issue. In this blog, you will find some steps to decrease the usage of SM, and the reasons why we are becoming addicted to it (scientifically based!) LGBTQ+ and Their Representation In the Media      https://anacantordaza.wixsite.com/my-site          The most discussed subject of the last decade. Members of the LGBTQ+ community have been shown in the media much more than in the past, but there are still challenges with their correct representation. This blog emphasizes that media should be a realistic portrayal of the world, which is...

       FOMO is an acronym for “fear of missing out”, which refers to the idea people develop, about others experiencing better things, having more fun and being happier than they think they are. This issue has existed since the ancient times, but nowadays it is becoming even more serious. In the age of social media, more channels than ever to foster this fear emerge. What could help us to overcome this fear and is it necessary to exclude it at all? It is possible to consider FOMO both from the positive and negative points of view.        According to Abel, J. P. et al. (2016), i rritability, anxiety, and insecurities are all symptoms of FOMO, and they tend to get worse when a person logs on to social media networks. Sometimes we participate or force ourselves to do any kind of activities simply because of watching someone else doing it. In order to "fit in", meaning not to feel being missing out, people may change their habits and neglect the...

1. In the video, Bobby Mook is discussing the Fear of Missing out as a matter which have always existed. He emphasizes the role of Technology, social media in particular. “Technology is not the reason we experience our fear of missing out. It is just a medium for it.” But most importantly, the speaker mentions the true grounds of this anxiety. People try to get the answers to essential questions about their significance in this life. Concluding, Bobby Mook looks at FOMO from a different (positive) perspective, so that the fear humans will never be able to overcome could be helping us instead of ruining our lives.  2.      A recent video by a Dutch YouTube channel "Einzelgaenger" dives into the topic even deeper. In this video one can find a good number of examples of situations when we usually face with FOMO. It is quite thought-provoking, because the given cases are familiar to most of us. It reveals the futility of FOMO and informs the viewer that the eve...

   JOMO: The Joy of Missing Out    It turns out that there is more to FOMO... There is an antidote to it!       JOMO stands for Joy of Missing Out, and it a state, in which a person enjoys being out of range, living their best life and does not get influenced by social pressure. In her article, Kristen Fuller narrowly explains what this state of mind is in comparison with Fear of missing out. In her words, JOMO encourages us to slow down, cherish human relationships, be more deliberate with our time, practice saying "no," take digital-free breaks and give ourselves liberty to realize where we are and express feelings, whether they are good or unpleasant. We let ourselves to be who we truly are in the present moment, because of JOMO, and it is known to be the key point in finding happiness. So much time, energy, and emotion to conquer our actual priorities turn up if we free up that anxious and competitive space the brain. Kristen encoura...

The Best Way to Overcome Fear of Missing Out       An article by Eric Barker in Time Magazine brilliantly explains where does FOMO come from and how to fight with it. The author states that such anxiety is totally unpleasant for people, mainly for their self-esteem and feeling of happiness. So, one of the most common ways to fulfil the unhappiness we experience sometimes, is to check social networks' feeds. It is constantly happening throughout the day, because even not realising that we are not feeling great, we try to increase our mood by surfing the web, which appears to make the situation much worse. Barker mentions that we can't stop comparing our lives to others', even though everybody is aware that Facebook users are not showing a 100%-real picture of their living. Results of one of the studies by Times suggest that users of social media are more likely to compare their success to those of others, and the effect on our mental health is equivalent to looking at your...

FOMO Helps During Black Friday       Black Friday is the week of highest discounts in both online and offline shops all over the world, which annually takes place after Thanksgiving Day - when the holiday season begins. This is an excellent example for understanding how Fear of Missing Out works. Earlier in this blog we looked at FOMO from the point of view of ordinary people who are experiencing it. In this part, another side of the coin is being emphasised. While FOMO victims are suffering and trying to deal with the problem, business companies are learning to take advantage of the situation. Playing with their customers' feelings is one of the most effective ways to earn a greater benefit for them. First of all, by using powerful words as "last chance", "Only...", "Exclusive", "Limited", promoters increase viewers attention to their brands. This creates a sense of urgency and encourages visitors to act fast without having the time to think...

Quarantine FOMO       During the COVID-19 pandemic, FOMO has developed in the world most distinctly. Authorities of almost every country in the world had announced an obligatory quarantine for their  citizens, and borders had been closing for travelling. However, all of the restrictions and, after the improvement of the epidemiological situation, alleviations, have been happening unevenly in the world. Thanks to the Internet, we are able to observe current events by reading and/or watching the news, and to follow people from any corner of our planet in order to look at how their life is going. So, in this case, there are several points on this topic to be mentioned.       The statistics of coronavirus-infected/dead/survived population in each state and in the word in general have become an every-day thing to check, just as looking at a weather forecast the morning. Even though the information about the number of cases most likely is not going...

              I got a smartphone with constant Internet connection at the age of 10. This gave me the opportunity to continuously chat with my friends in group chats, and loads of messages kept appearing in my notification box. My Fear of Missing out germinated at that time, and till nowadays it has been expanding. New things seeming reasonable for tracking are arising every minute. I have noticed that people very easily get used to new features in media, which are invented to keep users' attention. And the amount of time spent in the media has been increasing for last several years. In this blog I would like to discuss the reasons why do we let this happen to us - why do we let the media to interfere with our real lives. The events we are following on the web become the most important and urgent things. People lose track go time and tend to postpone their actual occasions. This is an important issue, which may affect one's life meaning....