FOMO is defined as anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on a social media website.
So your boss denied your request off and now you have to miss *insert event here* that all your friends are going to. You spend the whole shift occupied with anxiety about all the fun you’re missing out on and the fact that randoms are flirting with your "potential bae." You get off work and you have multiple texts of “wish you were here,” Snapchats from your BFF & potential bae and already your friend’s IG pic is at 98 likes!
69 percent of millennials experience “FOMO” when they can’t make it to an event their friends or family are attending, according to Eventbrite.
Have you ever noticed if you can’t make it out one night or decided to stay in and binge watch Netflix, that the next time you’re with your group of friends they suddenly appear much more closer than you and “so and so” were just last week?! Which sucks because now you feel out of the loop, and you feel like you need to be on a TV show: “previously on 'Life with Ronnie'”…or something like that.
The worst is seeing IG pictures, because you totally should’ve been in the pic that’s now getting more than 98 likes…and lying in bed watching your friends’ drunk/or not Snapchat story is just making it even worse because you so wanted to go dancing and just make out with potential bae already.
So what’s the real reason as to why college students struggle with the "fear of missing out" so much?
Entrepreneur states that 79 percent of millennials see shared experiences as bonding, and in college it’s all about bonding. You are constantly building relationships whether it be personal or professional. You rely on social outings and the weekend events to maintain/spruce up your relationships with others. The college student timeline of struggling with FOMO:
Freshman year is crucial. It’s where FOMO is at an all-time high. Meeting new friends and new love interest is just off the charts and so many new numbers are going into your phone that that’s what your storage consists of. House party after house party…same people, different house, but no you can’t miss it because you just have to make an appearance or what if someone new shows up. Unlikely.
Sophomore year is phase two. You’ve found your clique, but still adding on to the crew. You don’t want to miss out on anything because--God forbid--you didn’t play in that beer-pong tournament, or go see that one band that’s just slowly drifting into “so last year.”
Junior year is the new scene. Most of you and your friends by the time are 21 and it's time for nights out on the town. This is the “yes I want to go out, but I don’t have money” college era. So basically your FOMO relies on how much money you have to go out.
Senior year and still having FOMO, will this "disease" ever go away? I should be focused on graduation, but wait this is like my last hurrah! FML. You end up going out and you realize you have no idea who these new people are, and you would’ve rather been watching "Parks & Rec."
How to overcome “FOMO” is to realize what you are actually missing out on. Yes, that party last weekend would’ve been so much fun, but I got a good grade on my exam, or made over $150 in tips.
Bottom Line: College is about making and sharing many experiences, but there’s no reason to get all worked up about missing a house party, one night in Mt. Adams, or a GNO. Your friends will still be your friends, so what if you’re not in an IG pic, and you’re just more responsible about how you spend your time. Get through college and the fear of missing out, because you're still young and have the rest of your life to have unforgettable experiences.
