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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Did you get to see T-Pain and comedian John Mulaney at the Big Orange Fest? Did you also get to see the hilarious yaks, tweets and status updates throughout the shows? Odds are, you weren’t able to keep up with it all, and you may have been suffering from FOMO because of it. FOMO, or the fear of missing out, is the feeling of anxiety people get when they worry about an exciting event that might be happening elsewhere. It’s a cocktail of emotions that includes regret, helplessness and guilt that can be triggered by social media. Something as simple as seeing a Facebook status, Snapchat story, Instagram post or a tweet can cause FOMO, leading someone to think that they’re missing out on a great party, wedding, football game or conversation. Similarly, not seeing a friend’s status, story, post or tweet can cause FOMO because it leads to uncertainty about what events could be taking place off social media. FOMO is more pervasive than ever, but with a tweak in the way we think, it’s completely preventable.

Fifty-five percent of adult millennials report feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information that needs to be digested in order to stay up to speed with society’s popular topics. In today’s fast-paced society, that’s not a surprise. We’re bombarded with new trending topics every hour, and the news cycle is faster than ever. Furthermore, we’re confronted with constant updates of where our friends are and what they’re doing. We subsequently feel obligated to be everywhere and aware of everything at the same time or suffer the trauma of missing out. After all, we see that people on our news feed are laughing at the latest vine, partying in Midtown and celebrating someone’s law school acceptance all at the same time, so why aren’t we?

First of all, we can’t. There are so many parties, TV shows, trending hashtags, vines, yaks and life events to keep up with that it’s impossible to be everywhere and aware of everything at the same time. Trying to keep up is mentally exhausting, and that’s why many people suggest deleting social media completely in order to avoid online-induced FOMO. They argue that social media and FOMO go hand in hand, so it must be completely avoided. That’s not the right strategy, however. Surely, a decrease in the use of social media will decrease the frequency of FOMO, but it will not fully eradicate it. We will always be confronted with the realization that we missed out on something, whether it’s through social media or conversation. So, the most effective way to handle FOMO is not to avoid it but to confront it.

Look at the way of thinking that leads to FOMO. Why do we expect ourselves to be everywhere at the same time, even when we know we can’t? Is it because we don’t want to be left out in conversations or timelines? Do we want to come off as informed in order to have a higher social status? Either way, let’s change the thought pattern that leads to FOMO by thinking of missing out as an opportunity instead of a detriment. Missing out allows us to fully enjoy whatever we choose to do instead. We might not be able to contribute to every trending hashtag or talk about yesterday’s most popular yaks, but we’ll have better naps and more stimulating conversations over coffee. We will devote our undivided attention to whatever is at hand, and our lives will be richer.

With the increasing use of social media, FOMO is only going to increase in prevalence. However, you can prevent it and still indulge in social media by changing your way of thinking. Enjoy your life and indulge in pop culture, but if you miss out on something, try to look at it as a reminder that you’re a busy human fully enjoying whatever is in front of you. When you make the decision to start thinking of missing out as an opportunity instead of an issue, you’ll feel empowered, autonomous and rebellious. And isn’t that what we young people love, to be rebellious?

Christopher Wilde is a UF biochemistry freshman. His column usually appears on Wednesdays. 

[A version of this story ran on page 6 on 3/31/2015 under the headline “Change how you FOMO”]

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