It did not take long for negative side effects of social media to arise. It was almost inevitable that websites which display your every social encounter would come with some sort of consequence, and the most rampant and dreaded consequence: FOMO.
Social media's purpose has taken a depressing turn. FOMO, short for Fear Of Missing Out, has begun to plague our generation with insecurity and feelings of loneliness; social media's purpose has taken a depressing turn.
If you suffer from FOMO, you don't just check social media for a quick check in on everyone's life. Instead, you start to compare and evaluate your life based on how other's portray their's on social media. Feeling left out is a completely normal feeling, but it turns into FOMO when the feeling becomes obsessive and controlling.
Here are the basic signs that show if you suffer form the horrid condition, sweeping the younger generation, known as FOMO:
You constantly check Facebook or Instagram.
Everyone most likely checks these sites multiple times a day which is normal. However, if you get an antsy feeling anytime you can not be connected at all times, that's a red flag!!
You have to be at every hang out with friends.
Going out all the time with your friends is not the crime. The problem becomes when you notice you're going out just because you're worried that something amazing will happen one random night. Instead of staying in to finish that lab report or catch up on sleep, you convince yourself to go out to avoid the chance of missing out on a most likely mundane evening.
When you do stay in, you are constantly checking social media to see how much fun your friends are having while you're not there.
When you're constantly bombarded with pictures of your friends looking like they're having such a fun night, feeling left out is completely normal -- in moderation, however. Instead, you cannot stop thinking about all the fun stuff they're doing to the point you no longer can enjoy your night.
When you are doing something super exciting, like on a vacation or at a concert, you still find yourself checking in to see what all your friends are doing.
You could be in paradise, yet your mind is still constantly wondering what everyone else is up to. You need that reassurance to make sure you're not missing out on some huge hang out. Social media becomes more important than the amazing event your attending.
You try and make your way into all pictures taken a night out (like Jared Leto here).
Pictures are fun, and we all love taking and posting them. However, FOMO turns it into a chore. You feel a since of accomplishment if you make it many Instagrams, as if you're proving that you too were at that party.
There is no advice to instantly cure FOMO other than realizing social media is all based on perspective. Remember, a subpar night out can instantly seem like a life changing evening with the right picture. Stop giving social media the power, and together we can combat the insidious disease FOMO.
