FOMO is the newest epidemic, you millennials probably know the feeling. It’s one of the ways our generation and Generation Y, those younger than us, are being classified. FOMO stands for the fear of missing out. It’s the anxiety you feel when you feel as if you are missing out on experiences that your family and friends are having.
Social media feeds off of the anxiety millennials have. We are constantly scrolling through our Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and when we’re desperate, Facebook, to stay up-to-date on what events are going on around us and what our friends are doing. Twitter even sends us notifications when groups of our followers interact with the same tweet because Twitter wouldn’t want us to miss out. This tempts us to be on social media constantly. Millennials already have a bad rep for being addicted to social media, but the fear of missing out just makes it worse by consuming our time staring at phone screens. Constantly knowing what others around us are experiencing can give us anxiety and stress if we aren’t also having those special experiences.
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Not only are we wasting time, but we might also be breaking the bank. Millennials are more likely to spend money on experiences rather than things. What little money college students have is being spent on going to concerts, festivals or sporting events. Not only do we have positive feelings toward live entertainment, but we also believe that by not going, we would be missing out on something and feeling excluded. If all of my friends are attending the concert, there’s no chance I’m going to miss it, so I will spend my money on it. This is just another difference millennials have from older generations who are less willing to spend money on numerous summer concerts.
For college students, FOMO is also playing a role in their social lives. When you have a giant paper due Monday morning, but everyone is going out Friday night, FOMO kicks in. Not only are we expert procrastinators, but we also use FOMO to reason with ourselves. Going out instead of writing a paper is alright because you wouldn’t want to miss out on anything exciting or “important.”
And if you do stay in on Friday night, you’ll find yourself relieved on Saturday morning when your friends tell you it was just an average night out, and you didn’t miss anything great.
If these apply to you, then you might be someone who suffers from FOMO. While there is nothing wrong with paying for experiences you want to have, there are also some things to keep in mind. When you’re scrolling through social media feeds, remember that people typically share only the greatest moments and experiences of their lives.
Don’t let their posts cause anxiety or depression in your life because it can lead to greater problems with your mental health. Instead of focusing on what you’re missing out on, think about the people you get to share experiences and memories with and take pride in that.
