FOMO Syndrome: Fear Of Missing Something

Today we like to have contact with others both online and offline. With new information, technology and social networks, the digital medium has been established as a new point of contact. In this new digital world, the FOMO syndrome arose, which comes from the English “Fear Of Missing Out”, which means “Fear of missing something”.

The most important thing that characterizes FOMO is a social fear that, to be honest, has always existed: to be excluded. It is the bitter feeling that we are missing out on something that others enjoy. This feeling begins as a simple perception that grows and breaks us down to the point where we feel a need to stay in touch on our social media platforms at all times just so we do not miss anything.

Knowing that our friends are going to do something better than we have already planned makes us feel like we are the losers. This makes us feel that their lives are more interesting than ours. Thanks to smartphones and the momentum of social networks, these feelings of wakefulness and fear have become a common companion in many people’s lives.

The cause of this phenomenon is continuously linked to social media. Due to new technology, this social anxiety took on new dimensions that require analysis by sociologists, psychologists and even doctors. Let’s dive a little deeper into this topic.

So you can not have fun because others have it too?

Consider the following scenario. You decide to stay home on a Saturday night. You enjoy a good movie, a good book or a good conversation. Then you go on Facebook and you discover that many of your friends do fun things like travel or have dinner in exclusive restaurants. If it makes you worried, you fall into FOMO’s trap.

We have all felt eager before, because we felt like we were missing out on something important. It is completely normal. The problem arises when we feel that we can not have fun (even if we have it) just because other people are doing more exciting things at the moment.

We share the best parts of our lives on our social media accounts. These social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram become overwhelming for some people. We always want something we can not get. Our anxiety levels increase significantly when the thought that something is crucial to our happiness mixes with the anxiety of constantly feeling that we are missing out on something important.

The feeling of missing something is rising thanks to new technology

We could say that the fear of missing something has always existed. But because of smartphones and the existence of social networks, it has become something else: a basic human motivation because of our need to belong.

Being part of a group is an important factor in social identity and a key component in self-esteem. This is why social media plays an important role in today’s relationships between individuals.

Thanks to new technology, we are always aware of what others are doing. That’s why we always know what we’re missing. This is what really generates the FOMO syndrome, which makes us feel anxious, excluded and rejected.

According to a study, 3 out of 10 people between the ages of 13 and 34 have been victims of FOMO syndrome at least once. It usually happens when they find out that their friends are doing exciting things without them. Has it ever happened to you?