Social Media and a Culture of FoMo

 What is Fomo?

    With internet users spending more time on social media, concerns for a culture of FoMo, of fear of missing 

out is on the rise. The Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health defines fomo as concerns of social

 media users who feel a loss of opportunity when unable to connect with others. More research has examined the

 outcome of fomo, and the negative attachment linked to social media use including sleep loss, negative feelings,

 anxiety, and the inability to control one's emotions. (Alutaybi et al, 2020).

FoMo Research and Strategy

      More research has examined the outcome of FoMo, and the negative attachment linked to social media use 

including sleep loss, negative feelings, anxiety, and the inability to control one's emotions. 

(Alutaybi et al, 2020). The research journal reveals that while social media induce FoMo may be common, 

resources to manage social media reliance are not common. 

 

     Despite indicators of the effect of FoMO on users’ well-being, guidance and tools that allow people to manage it 

are still not available. The article shares the results of a study conducted to evaluate methods of reducing FoMo and 

mentions plans to improve and family methods for future use. The results of the study notate positive responses to 

method FoMo-R, assisting social media users to manage feelings of missing out.

     

 In an collection of essays by Pew Research Center predicting the best and worst changes in digital life, expert Dmitri Williams 

warns internet users of what is at stake when economic growth over well being,  

"We have an innate need to connect, and the in-person piece is deeply tied to our natures. As we move physically more and more away from each other – or focus on far-off content even when physically present – our well-being suffers. I can’t think of anything more depressing than seeing a group of young friends together but looking at their phones rather than each other’s faces. Watching well-being trends over time, even before the pandemic, suggests an epidemic of loneliness" (Dimitri Williams, 2023)

   Nowadays, social media users must be aware of the risks associated with dependency and how side effects like FoMo can affect the well being of individual health our society.

 

 References  

Alutaybi, A., Al-Thani, D., McAlaney, J., & Ali, R. (2020, August 23). Combating fear of missing out 

    (FOMO) on social media: The FOMO-R method. International journal of environmental research and public health.

     https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7504117/

Atske, S. (2023, June 30). 2. expert essays on the expected impact of Digital Change by 2035. Pew 

    Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2023/06/21/expert-

    essays-on-the-expected-impact-of-digital-change-by-2035/#Dmitri-Williams