FOMO
I learned a new acronym recently: FOMO. It stands for “Fear Of Missing Out.” (Warning: mild snark ahead.) As if any one of us needs another acronym to remember, OR another reason to carry around fear. Sigh.
Anyway, the origin of this phrase apparently comes from social media, where people (young people, mostly) incessantly post photos of themselves doing various things or attending various events – parties, concerts, trips, etc., and, sometimes just photos of them in their homes or what they’re having for dinner – resulting in other people who look at their pages feeling as if they are “missing out” on something by not constantly having a new event to attend or a fun and exciting plate full of food.
I remember as a teenager always comparing myself to others. Now, as an adult (and after many years of tool-gathering), I’m conscious of not comparing myself to anyone else since we are all on our own journey. To a 15 year-old, though, that’s not such a swallow-able message, especially with the access to technology that they have and the constant availability of what everyone is doing, all the time, all the time.
I’m not going to complain about technology (remember, I got off the Complain Train!). I love technology. I am thankful for it in a hundred thousand ways. What scares me, though, is the way technology has contributed to the spread of this “FOMO”, especially among young people, who are the most vulnerable to the insecurity that often accompanies comparing themselves to others.
Here is what I would say to any young person (and to anyone) who is experiencing FOMO:
Your life is your creation. You have the power to do what you want with it.
What you see people share on Facebook, Instagram, and any other photo-hosting site is approximately 1-3% of that person’s life.
You don’t know the struggles, the fears, or the intricacies of that person’s existence. Assuming that you are missing out on life based on pictures of someone’s vacation, birthday party, or graduation is only taking away from your own happiness.
Please stop doing that to yourself.
Instead, look around at your life and all the things for which you have to be grateful.
And there are so many things.
If you are reading this right now, that means you have access to a computer in your home or work place. There’s one.
If you are looking at these words right now, that means you have the gift of sight. There’s another one.
If you understand these words, that means you can read. There’s one more.
See how easy that was?
Oh, what the heck, let’s embrace FOMO and use it as a good way to remind ourselves about how much we do have in our lives, and about how awesome it is when we really start creating the lives we want to be living.
After all, YOLO.