FOMO, Anita Gill

FOMO

Anita Gill

The fear of missing out (FOMO) is an emotional response to the belief that others are having more fun, living better lives, or having better experiences than you are. FOMO usually leads to feelings of unease, dissatisfaction, depression and stress. It can affect self-esteem and is often worsened with the use of social media sites such as Instagram and Facebook.

This term is not new to our era. As a matter of fact, it has been around for centuries as you can see evidence of FOMO in ancient texts. However, it has only been studied during the past few decades, beginning in 1996 by a marketing strategist named Dr. Dan Herman.4 And since the rise of social media, FOMO has been studied even more frequently. This is because social media has enhanced the FOMO phenomenon in many ways, as it gets you to compare your regular life to the highlights of other people’s.

Adolescents use social networking sites at an incredibly high rate, and as a result are more likely to experience FOMO. Seeing friends and others posting on social media can lead teens to compare themselves and garner an intense fear of missing out on things that their peers are experiencing. Studies show that in some adolescents, FOMO can play a role in anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and risky behaviours.5 This is because FOMO can contribute to peer pressure, pushing teens to engage in dangerous behaviours that they would otherwise avoid. And

4 Herman1 D. Introducing short-term brands: A new branding tool for a new consumer reality. Journal of Brand Management. J Brand Manag 7, 330–340 (2000). doi:10.1057/bm.2000.23 5 Gupta M, Sharma A. Fear of missing out: A brief overview of origin, theoretical underpinnings and relationship with mental health. World J Clin Cases. 2021;9(19):4881-4889. doi:10.12998/wjcc.v9.i19.4881

because the teenage brain is still in development, teens are likely to engage in such actions without thinking about the long-term consequences.

This knowledge gives us better insight into what young people are experiencing. And it is likely that these experiences are being brought into the classroom and affecting teen’s abilities to learn and do well in school. Imagine a teen sitting at their desk thinking about the picture their friends uploaded on Friday night which they were not a part of. This will make them feel sad or upset and prohibit them from focusing on the lesson that the teacher is trying to cover in front of them. And they are not only missing an important lesson which could cause them to fall behind, but over time, repeated thoughts such as these can also cause depression, which can bring forth bigger issues such as a loss of motivation or desire to attend school and learn with peers altogether.

Understanding what FOMO entails, where it comes from, and how it affects youth’s health and well-being is important to the study of adolescence and health as it helps educators make more informed decisions in relation to the attitudes that they bring into the classroom, as well as the teaching methods that they can utilise, so that their students can get the best learning experience possible.

Academic source:

Non-academic source:

https://www.tiktok.com/@summerlindsey02/video/7159897946115345666?is_copy_url=1&is_fr om_webapp=v1&q=fomo&t=1667789881502