Do you suffer from FOMO, otherwise known as “Fear Of Missing Out”.
It’s Sunday morning and you’re happily eating your breakfast in bed with a good book, however you momentarily stop to have a sneak peak on Facebook, only to get a pang of “I’m missing out” as you see photos from the night before of your friends at a glamourous party (as you wipe the toast crumbs from your pyjamas).
The discovery of these photos somehow manages to send your happy mood plummeting as you begin to feel inadequate and like you should be out there living life to the max (like everyone else seems to be).
However it’s easy to forget that Facebook and other social media platforms only show a skewed version of reality – after all, people tend to only upload their “best work” on Facebook.
Although despite this knowledge, it seems many of us have experienced these feelings of “missing out”, with one survey finding that two-thirds of people (aged between 18 to 33) have experienced these feelings.
On a more severe note, FOMO can contribute to depression and anxiety, leading researchers at the American Academy of Pediatrics to label acute cases as Facebook Depression. While it seems this is more prevalent in kids and teenagers, it’s a concerning outcome of the social media age.
Whether it’s a mild case of FOMO or Facebook Depression, it seems that our social media obsession may be have more causing more problems than just a loss of time.
What are your views on FOMO? Social media has done so many great things to connect us – however, do you think it’s also increased feelings of anxiety, inadequacy or even depression? Share your views below.
