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    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), irritability, 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 their true wishes. We enjoy being aware of everything - the more, the better, and this includes any kind of news, events, new technologies, ads practically anything that comes to mind, be that a data or an item. On the one hand, this fear makes us suffer a lot. For instance, very often students who have deadlines for their assignments, chose spending the night at a party thinking that life only happens once and there will never be such an opportunity anymore. So, first of all, a person struggles to make the decision on what is really important in the moment. Secondly, after succumbing to the fear of missing out and choosing to do the wrong thing, there is a small chance of being able to have fun. During the party the anxiety shows up again. FOMO makes them think about all the work they could and should have been doing.

    While watching at other people's profiles on Instagram, we keep noticing those incredibly productive people who have finished reading two books by 7:00, have cooked a healthy breakfast for their happy family and have done morning yoga by 7:30, and are planning to fly to Venice this month. Our head starts filling up with thoughts about how miserable your life is. Then there are several mirror-selfies shot on new iPhone, and you start thinking about spending a fortune on it as well, because everyone already has it, and you somehow do not. The next minute you bump on the last Forbes article, and even if it is already bedtime, you feel the need to keep scrolling. People continue to strive to absorb as much info as possible, despite concerns that there is simply too much out there to absorb and understand. This nonstop stream of information in social media can make people feel even worse about not knowing what others are saying, doing, and even buying (Abel, J. P., Buff, C. L., & Burr, S. A., 2016). Experiencing this fear, we are turning our minds to the things we should have been doing or could have been doing. As a result, we are unpleased both with what is happening in the moment with us, and we are still not doing what we are ought to do. When we try to have a rest, we still struggle, because we think we have to be doing something more important, or talking to someone, or checking the phones. 

    Yet, despite all negative consequences of FOMO, such as stress, depression and unstable moods, there is still an opinion that the fear motivates people to become better versions of themselves. On the one hand, trying to do more and more leads to unavoidable failures, because it is impossible to cope with everything the world is offering. On the other hand, sometimes it is reasonable to be grateful to FOMO, because it practically forces us to improve our lives. 

    

Reference List:

1. Abel, J. P., Buff, C. L., & Burr, S. A. (2016). Social Media and the Fear of Missing Out: Scale Development and Assessment. Journal of Business & Economics Research (JBER), 14(1), 33–44. https://doi.org/10.19030/jber.v14i1.9554