Fear of missing out

Fear of missing out is becoming a real phenomenon considering the stress in people’s lives. Especially with the massive use of social media, people tend to compare themselves with others by having the perception that others are having more fun, traveling more, and having a better life in general.

This fear is not just the perception that others are having more fun but is the feeling that you could do better and experience a better life. The fear that you are missing something fundamentally.

This idea is not new and for the first time, it was used by marketing strategist Dan Herman in 1996. In his academic paper named The Journal of Brand Management, this term was used for the first time.

Fear of Missing Out in times of social media

Although this type of fear is not new, this feeling has become more prevalent especially with the increase of the use of social media. In times of social media, people are more able to obtain information about other people’s life. With the use of social media, people tend to compare their lives to others. By comparing yourself to others on social media, you subconsciously begin to think that others are living a better life than you do.

According to a study named “Combating Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) on Social Media: The FoMO-R Method” by Aari Alutaybi, Dena Al-Thani, John McAlaney, and Raian Al – “the fear of missing out can become problematic, leading to anxiety, interrupted sleep, lack of concentration and dependence on social media to generate gratification”.

They argue that the use of social media has triggered a lot of negative feelings such as the fear of missing out.

“This typically refers to the preoccupation of users of social media with lost opportunities when they are offline or unable or unwilling to connect and communicate with others to the extent they wish”.

The close connection of social media and fear of missing out is associated with lower mood and life satisfaction. According to a study named “Motivational, emotional, and behavioral correlated of fear of missing out” with the intensive use of social media people are more aware of what they are missing. Having the opportunity to see what others do, makes them feel that they are missing a lot.

How to fight the fear of missing out?

One of the challenges of modern times is how to use social media rationally. If you think that your fear of missing out is coming from the use of social media, you can do something to feel better.

• Focus on yourself

Try to detox from social media by concentrating on yourself. Take a weekend, a week, or a month and do something productive for your life. You can concentrate on your work or school. By having this time you can understand the real-life outside social media.

• Don’t compare yourself with others

The fear of missing out comes from the tendency of comparing yourself with others. Comparing your life with total strangers on social media is not healthy at all. Next time you catch yourself doing this try to think about all the positive things you have in your life.

• Spend some time alone

If you are spending time alone while fishing on social media, you are not staying alone at all. Try to focus on your inner self and find some hobbies.

Photos: Shutterstock.com

Another great article here:

From Fear to Joy of Missing Out: FoMo VS YoMo

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