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Nancy Lohia Many people believe that their identities or the identities of those in their lives are linked to their social media profiles. We communicate with friends, family, and other acquaintances via social media. We get a glimpse into someone’s life when they share an image, comment, or video, and they frequently share an emotional experience. As a result, when we connect with someone, an emotional component may develop over time due to our ongoing interactions with them through various social media communication channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a0Social media’s rise has made it easier for people to connect. Social media now allows people worldwide to interact and communicate in various ways. Social media has made it possible for users to share a variety of content concerning their passions, such as images, videos, articles, and connections to several websites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the popularity of social media has also raised anxiety levels, especially among teenagers and young adults, which has resulted in the emergence and growth of FOMO, or the fear of missing out. When discussing the effects of social media on mental health and how FOMO has impacted people, especially young adults, it is clear that the rise and prevalence of FOMO among the youth have become increasingly significant. To successfully navigate today’s world of several social media platforms, it is imperative to find a means for people to shift their ideas of FOMO to JOMO [The Joy of Missing Out]. Creators designed social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok to capture and maintain our interest. Notifications, likes, comments, stories, and algorithm-generated content motivate us to interact with them regularly. 2.5<\/sup> These features can facilitate communication between users, but they can also exacerbate emotions of social comparison and FOMO. 2,5<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n For fear of missing a crucial update, discussion, or event, many people feel compelled to check their phones or other gadgets several times during the day. Over time, this behaviour may cause a person to become dependent on social media, making it challenging for them to stop using it completely\u2014even if doing so would improve their mental health. 2,4<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n FOMO\u2019s psychological impact Many students have been reported to experience anxiety as a result of FOMO.2,3<\/sup> People who worry that they won’t get invited to important events (like parties) or social gatherings (like going out with friends) may have anxiety and restlessness nearly all the time. Because of this, these children may feel that they have to keep up with or be aware of everything that is going on with their peers at all times, which wears them out emotionally and makes them anxious all the time.2,3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n Reduced Self- Respect<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As previously said, students’ self-esteem may deteriorate as a result of continuing to compare themselves to people they perceive to be more attractive, successful, or socially connected on social media.2,3<\/sup> They may disregard their own achievements and strengths if they frequently compare themselves to these others. Students may have emotions of inadequacy and\/or self-doubt if they constantly compare themselves to others.2,3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n Social Disconnection & Loneliness<\/strong> Reduced Contentment with Life<\/strong> Why young people are especially at risk FOMO’S change to JOMO:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n While JOMO (Joy of Missing Out) is being introduced by researchers and advocates of healthy digital behaviour, FOMO is still gaining popularity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Being happy and content with your current situation rather than continuously looking for outside assistance or involvement is known as JOMO. A person who practices JOMO will concentrate on the importance of the experience they are currently having rather than worrying about losing out on opportunities, events, or discussions. Practicing JOMO is deliberately choosing how and when to use digital tools rather than giving up technology and isolating oneself. Instead of the stress of constantly being online, it enables you to prioritise meaningful experiences, genuine connections, hobbies, and self-care. Additionally, JOMO is founded on the psychological ideas of self-acceptance, appreciation, and mindfulness. 2<\/sup> Studies have indicated that people who live in the present and are appreciative of what they have tend to be happier, more resilient, and more content with their lives. Methods to foster psychological well-being<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Social media used to be a way to escape reality, but these days, the continual onslaught of pictures, posts, and information can make us feel stuck. Additionally, social media-related FOMO (fear of missing out) contributes to our emotions of loneliness and isolation. The good news is that there are easy techniques to support psychological well-being in your life and lessen those unpleasant thoughts and feelings: \u2022 Mindfulness: living in the present and refraining from comparing your behaviour to that of others. \u2022 Digital boundaries: Limiting the amount of time you spend online to what you would spend in person and turning off alerts for any app that isn’t useful. \u2022 Developing offline interactions: Spend time away from social media by establishing and maintaining in-person relationships with family and friends. \u2022 Gratitude Journaling: Start a gratitude diary by listing the things in your life that make you feel good or fulfilled, the things you have accomplished or want to accomplish, and the people who make you feel good about yourself. \u2022 Use social media with awareness. Choose what you want to read, what you want to post, and what you want to tweet. Instead of merely browsing through other people’s social media pages, use social media to inform and inspire others to provide value. \u2022 Acceptance of defects and missing out on opportunities: Acknowledging that everyone is flawed and unable of doing everything at all times, there will inevitably be moments when someone will lose an opportunity due to uncontrollable circumstances. REFERENCES Edited by: Goldie Kasturia PHOTO COURTESY – Matthew-ball-unsplash<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Nancy LohiaStudent-PsychologyThe NorthCap University Many people believe that their identities or the identities of those in their lives are linked to their social media profiles. We communicate with friends, family, and other acquaintances via social media. We get a glimpse into someone’s life when they share an image, comment, or video, and they frequently share […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1427,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[174],"tags":[408,410,409,411,378],"class_list":["post-1434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-mind","tag-anxiety","tag-cognitive","tag-depression","tag-fomo","tag-mental-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/takhte.in\/VoiceofViews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1434","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/takhte.in\/VoiceofViews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/takhte.in\/VoiceofViews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/takhte.in\/VoiceofViews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/takhte.in\/VoiceofViews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1434"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/takhte.in\/VoiceofViews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1434\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1437,"href":"https:\/\/takhte.in\/VoiceofViews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1434\/revisions\/1437"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/takhte.in\/VoiceofViews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/takhte.in\/VoiceofViews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1434"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/takhte.in\/VoiceofViews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1434"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/takhte.in\/VoiceofViews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1434"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Student-Psychology
The NorthCap University<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Comprehending FOMO
<\/strong>FOMO, or fear of missing out, is a term used to describe the uneasy sense that you might be missing out on something amazing that others are enjoying. 1<\/sup> According to Przybylski and his colleagues, FOMO is the ubiquitous need to constantly be aware of what other people are doing. 1<\/sup> From a psychological perspective, FOMO arises when basic human needs like self-worth, belongingness, and social connection are either unmet or in danger. 1,2<\/sup> Due to the constant barrage of information about other people’s lives (visually displayed images) on social media, an individual will grow increasingly concerned about whether or not these basic needs are met and whether or not there is evidence of someone’s authentic self (trials and disappointments) during their fun-filled moments.
This will make people think that others are living better lives than they are, which will lower one’s sense of self-worth. of insufficiency, or omitted (where there is no real proof).
Social media’s role in creating FOMO<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Comparing one’s daily life to the carefully manicured highlight reel of others is the primary source of FOMO. 2, 3 <\/sup>The majority of social media users share their triumphs, festivities, or memorable experiences, but many also choose not to share anything about their setbacks, hardships, or ordinary aspects of their lives. People who see these articles may thereby create an unrealistic standard or expectation by comparing their entire life to someone else’s chosen highlights.
The constant availability of information is another major factor in FOMO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Emotional distress and anxiety<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
While social media aims to unite people, it often has the opposite effect, leading to feelings of loneliness or social alienation. A person may feel excluded from something if they witness someone else (or many others) taking part in an event or social activity in which they did not (the person may have many significant contacts outside of social media). People who have high levels of FOMO are less likely to be content with their interpersonal connections and are more likely to be lonely. 3,4<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n
People who are always worried about missing out and don’t appreciate what they have may be the most affected by FOMO. People feel as though they are not reaching their full potential, which lowers their happiness and psychological well-being. This is because the desire to be doing or trying something else keeps people from enjoying their current experiences and causes them to focus on all the other things they could be doing.2,3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>As they go through the social belonging processes that impact their development, young adults are particularly vulnerable to FOMO. Three key factors that affect a person’s self-image and self-esteem throughout their early adult years are social acceptance, identity formation, and social validation.
Nowadays, a person can use social media to stay in touch with people outside of their workplace, school, or campus twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. There is a great desire to be validated by likes, comments, and follows since many young people nowadays feel compelled to have a favourable online profile. Being able to gauge one’s value based on the quantity of digital approvals one has obtained makes one far more susceptible to FOMO. 2,5<\/sup>
It is important for young people to learn healthy social media usage practices early in life because research indicates that excessive social media use and FOMO experiences can result in higher levels of anxiety, depressive symptoms, and lower levels of life satisfaction. 2,3,4<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s intriguing to note that current debates on digital well-being do not imply that technology is the primary issue, but rather that our usage of it is. When used purposefully, social networking can support learning, the growth of social networks, creativity, and the creation of deep connections. Therefore, it’s not that we won’t have technology; rather, it’s that we may use it more constructively and thoughtfully.
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1) Przybylski, A. K., Gladwell, V., DeHaan, C. R., and Murayama, K. (2013). FOMO has behavioural, emotional, and motivational connections. Human Behaviour and Computers, 29(4), 1841-1848.
2) Yang, H., Elhai, J. D., and Montag, C. (2021). Overview, theoretical foundations, and research evaluation on the relationship between the intensity of negative affectivity and problematic technology use and FOMO. Journal of Psychiatry in Brazil, 43(2), 203-209.
3) Groenestein, E., Ket, H., Willemsen, L., van Koningsbruggen, G. M., & Kerkhof, P. (2024). A scoping examination of conceptual and empirical concerns regarding the connection between digital technology use, psychological well-being, and FOMO.
PLOS ONE, 19 (10).
4) Seydavi, M., Palmieri, S., and Akbari, M. (2021). A systematic study and meta-analysis of internet use and fear of missing out (FoMO).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Founder \u2013 Takhte Writers and Publishers
Trustee – Ojass Takhte Trust<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n