The fear of missing out, or FOMO, is defined as persuasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent. FOMO causes feelings of social exclusion, jealousy, and resentment towards others. The fear of missing out has been proven to affect social isolation, relationships, and the mental health of many teens and adults. Why is that? Let’s find out.
The fear of missing out has become increasingly more common in today’s society. Teens, ages 10-19, are most susceptible to experience FOMO. This is largely due to the influence of social media. Social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook, allow viewers to see the “highlights” of other people’s lives without the behind the scenes struggles. This can create unrealistic expectations for our lives and make us feel like we are not living up to our potential. Many struggle with the overwhelming pressure of having to be available at all times, keeping up with social trends, and constant online engagement in order to feel included.
People will often attend events or activities, not because they want to, but because they feel like they have to in order to avoid missing out on the experience. This has led to a culture of overcommitment, causing a great deal of damage to the well-being of many individuals. In addition, the constant comparison to the lives of others has resulted in low self-esteem and self image.
Some individuals have expressed the opinion that the fear of missing out will drive people to work harder to achieve their goals through competition. However, it often brings feelings of insufficiency and causes us to feel a sense of failure. Personally, I have experienced many instances of FOMO in my social life. I often see my peers out at concerts, hanging out, etc. While I value my alone time and enjoy spending nights at home doing things for myself, I still struggle with feeling left out.
Overcoming these powerful feelings is difficult, but not impossible. One of the most effective ways to limit FOMO is to cut down on our social media influence. Instead of obsessing over what we don’t have or haven’t experienced yet, it is important to focus what we do have to be grateful for in our own unique lives.
Overall, the fear of missing out is a large factor in the decline of the social and mental well-being of many individuals. However, we must remember to not compare ourselves to others on social media and enjoy where we are in the race of life.
What are your thoughts on FOMO?
Have you ever personally experienced FOMO?
How have you, if at all, dealt with overcoming your fear of missing out?
Fear Of Missing Out - ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Psychology Behind FOMO - Forbes
Replies
Excellent topic and well done!!
I don't really feel FOMO for material. Any FOMO I feel is based on weather someone is better then me a something or smarter then me. I try not to have an unhealthy obsession, but I will try to improve myself in that area if I can. I think FOMO can act as a drive for self improvment as long as it's under control.
Before reading this I didn't know what fomo was. Now that I think about it I think I've had fomo once or twice. I feel like that if you experience fomo you just feel like nobody really wants to be with you until you start talking to someone and then you start to feel better
I agree. FOMO isn't something that is talked about very often and it's something that affects many people without even realizing they have it.
I think many people deal with FOMO everyday. FOMO has never been a big deal to me but I could see how it can affect others.
I think that FOMO happens to a lot of people but me personally don't really have. I would say ways that you could get rid of it is finding something to do or keep yourself busy so you don't exprience it.
Many people, especially teenagers nowadays experience FOMO. Now that people post everything good going on in their lives on social media, people could start to think their own lives aren't as good as other peoples'.
I think so many people have gone through FOMO in so many diffrent ways especially teenagers. Many people like myself work themselves up about not getting invited or being able to attend an event or gathering with friends. However sometimes you just have to look at the good side of things and distract yourself by being with family. Not to mention there will always be other opportunites to hangout with friends we cant do everything.
I agree. It is definetly important to remember that there will always be more opportunities to be with friends and to not stress ourselves out over situations we can't control.
I think you wrote the text well. FOMO is a difficult topic, especially at our age. And many show themselves so perfectly in their everyday lives, as if they were experiencing a highlight every day. But that's not how it is in real life. I think it's a shame that this is not often shown on social media, although I think it has improved. I think I also have FOMO sometimes.
-
1
-
2
-
3
of 3 Next