Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)

I promised to write this post a few months ago, and am finally getting around to it.   I had never heard of the phenomenon called Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) until last year (2015).  This phenomenon has existed for some time, but social media has exacerbated the occurrence of the condition.

Simply stated, Fear of missing out (FOMO) refers to the apprehension that one is not in the know or one is out of touch with some social event, experiences, and interactions.  Because so many people use social media to update their world on their exciting social lives minute by minute, there is a lot more to miss out on.

Apparently, there are some people who are so afraid that they are going to miss something important on their social media feeds that they are paralyzed into only interacting with social media for Fear of Missing Out.

And when you get trapped in the social media interaction, that is when you really miss out.

I can't count the number of times I have been in a restaurant, at a museum, at a theater, at a car show, where I look around and see numerous people interacting with their devices instead of the events happening right before their eyes.  Some of these people are chronicling what they are doing so that it can be posted on social media.  Some of them are checking to see what others are doing that they are missing.

Whatever is happening with the device, it is robbing the individual of the richness of the experience around them.

I'm all for taking a picture, or texting a friend when you see something that reminds you of them.  But then, put the device away.

Making good memories involves actually paying attention and processing what you are seeing and hearing.  When you fragment your attention by constantly checking your status or someone else's status you lose the richness of the current experience, and the ability to preserve the memory.

It is sad to think that someone's entire worldview is what it looks like on the screen of their smartphone or tablet.

The world is bigger than that.  You can't see all the magic from behind a screen.   And here is another big scary monster for all of you that suffer from FOMO.  You are always missing something.

That is another great thing about a deliberate life.  In a deliberate life, you CHOOSE the way you spend your time.  You weigh alternatives, and put your time, attention and energy where you want to put them.  And then you are happy for those who made other choices, but you don't regret your choices.

And please, remember that the best times of all are times spent with people, not devices.  You never know the last time you will get to look into someone's eyes, to hold their hand, to really listen to their stories.  Please don't miss out on that opportunity.

There is a great big world full of things that you are not part of.  That's OK.  Cherish the things you are part of.  Live in the moment you are in.  There is a tremendous amount of beauty to be experienced.  Allow yourself to pay attention and experience it.