Do you suffer from FOMO ?No, it’s not a medical problem or computer virus. But it IS a major issue for many folks.
If you don’t know what FOMO is, don’t worry. You’re NOT alone.
FOMO = Fear of Missing Out
It was the word of the day on April 14, 2011, in the online Urban Dictionary, where new words are daily added by internet users. It’s defined as “the fear that if you miss an event, you will miss out on
something great.”FOMO applies to the worry someone can have that he/she will miss out on something great or the anxiety felt when trying to choose between more than one event.
Its creation is credited to Kelley J. Watson and Diane E. Meyer. The two women were inseparable as children. Later, as they established separate social lives, then came anxiety associated with missing something one or the other was doing. Kelley reportedly told Diane, “I have this fear of missing out on fun stuff!” to which Diane replied “You have FOMO!” The term caught on with family members, who when missing events, declared they too had FOMO. Friends of both families started using the term and its use spread.
Internet addictions can also cause FOMO. The American Psychological Association hasn’t (yet) defined FOMO as a social disorder. But with the increasing use and popularity of social media like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram, FOMO has intensified. Yet, the fear of missing out isn’t new. It’s been promoted in newspaper society pages, party pictures, holiday letters even emails. The difference is that now instead of receiving occasional updates, we’re reminded 24x7 what we’re missing out on via the method of our choosing.
FOMO is a phobia. When you get it, there's no going back. You’ll be texting it, tweeting it, even status-updating it — it can become overwhelming.
What’s the Cure ?
It’s simple, just be in on — well, everything.
BTW (yikes —another acronym)Grenville and I are social “misfits” by current standards it seems. Our online contact is blogging, posting here and reading other blogs. Nope, we are not “reachable” via Facebook, Tweeting, Google+ and we’re OK with that.
How about YOU ?
9 comments:
I have a fear of missing posts like this.
a new word for me, and i do know a few people that have it. I don't go to events of any kind so i don't have to worry about getting it.. the only thing i worry about missing is the next change in PicMonkey.. does that count?
also don't tweet or twittr or FB or text so still no worries. but i might get killed at the 4 way stop by people who do all this... has been close a few times....
This week I'll encounter my annual FOFF (Fear Of Fair Food). We have a pretty good county fair with lots of tempting, not-very-good-for-you things to eat.
This post made me smile! Glad I did not miss out on it!
I learned something new today! I didn't know the term FOMO! I guess I miss out on a lot since I don't do FB, Twitter, etc. The only texting I want to do is with my children. I guess I'm a social misfit, too. :) Blogging is enough to keep up with for me.
No, I don't suffer from FOMO and I doubt I ever will :-)
Thinking of the post of the petrol price the other day, they say the price will sink a lot here now, still it's double or more than Your price :-)
Have a great day!
Christer.
A new word for me, but no FOMO here, unless it's in regards to quiet time at home. Guess that puts me firmly in the social misfit category too!
I had never heard of FOMO before. I don't think I have it. We don't do Facebook, or tweeting. My husband doesn't even carry a phone. I do, but only in case I get stranded in the car somewhere. I may or may not have google+. I signed up to follow on someone's sidebar, thinking I was just doing the usual follow. Apparently it was for google+. I didn't know how to undo it or even if I wanted to.
It is good to know that I'm not the only person not tweeting, facebooking, etc. Blogging is plenty for me.
Cute post! I've never heard of FOMO, so I learned something today. I suppose I occasionally have FOMO but not very often. :)
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