F.O.M.O     /ˈfəʊməʊ/  

(fear of missing out)

An all-consuming feeling that you’re missing out on something your peers are doing or are in possession of, often aroused by posts seen on social media.

FOMO is such a global phenomenon that it was added to the Oxford dictionary in 2013. That’s just how big a deal it is! Human beings are social creatures, whether we like it or not. Nobody likes to be left out of a fun event; we all suffer from FOMO one way or the other.

Commonly seen in people aged 30 and under, its symptoms include squandering money and time that should be dedicated to more important things in the name of feeling among. The advent of social media has also created a need for social validation, thereby contributing to social anxiety.

Imagine scrolling through your Facebook or Snapchat and seeing your friends partying without you. That has to hurt a little, right?  Or when everyone is tweeting about the newest bar in town and you know your pockets can’t afford it, but you want to go still.

These are only just some of the problems we face today with social anxiety. We see social media posts of what people are constantly buying and experiencing; leaving us with a feeling of emptiness and a need for inclusion.

We then want to live like they’re living, so we can post on social media like they’re posting. We dig into our pockets in a bid to “feel among” and “look cool”, without realizing that we’re only digging ourselves deeper into a hole of depression and insufficient funds.

If you spend all you have now without a thought for the future, what is going to happen when you retire and your savings are not enough? Do you want to risk waiting till then to realize just how broke the FOMO is making you? Saving might not sound cool but it has been saving lives since 1801.

Now, is this the fault of social media? No. Should we delete our social media? No.

Social media does not force FOMO on us. We are the ones with the power to choose just how social media posts make us feel.

Channel your FOMO into JOMO – Joy Of Missing Out.

Photo credit: http://smurfitschoolblog.com