Image source : yourteen.mag.com
I don’t know if I really suffer from FOMO or not. But I think I have felt some symptoms of FOMO. FOMO or an extension of the Fear of Missing out is a state of feeling in which a person is anxious, and anxious to face backwardness. For example we feel anxious when we don’t open social media or agitated when we don’t update in social media. In many discussions and studies, FOMO is more associated with digital phenomena. I’m not a person who is addicted to all social media like Facebook, Twitter, Path, Intagram, and others. I only open Facebook and Twitter every two weeks or even once a month. I have also left Path. But surely I always take the time to open Instagram. When I do my work, feel bored, on vacation and wherever I’m, I always open Instagram. Even sometimes when turning on the phone in the morning, my finger auto swipe to Instagram application. Regardless of whether I really suffer from FOMO or not, I decided to not to open Instagram until the time I haven’t set yet. Until now I publish this article, I already left Instagram for two weeks. It was easier than I thought
The fear of missing out (FOMO) is defined as the uneasy and sometimes all consuming feeling that you’re missing out that your peers are doing, in the know about, or in possession of more or something better than you[1]. In the case of social media, initially caused by the development of social networking sites generated by internet users. Dr. Dan Herman, who claims to be the first inventor of the word “FOMO” says that “over 70% of adults are driven by FOMO to varying degrees.” This, again, enunciates the point that it is the people participating in social media who have actually catapulted the phenomena itself[2]. Herman describes that the history of FOMO was born because of the technological revolution that is, the Transportation Revolution, the Communication Revolution and the Information Revolution. Herman continues by explaining why this third revolution is so significant, “The recent rise of social media and the developments in mobile devices’ technology increased exponentially our immediate awareness the myriad of options available to us.” Then why social media is the main cause of the phenomenon of FOMO? Social media gives people opportunities to easily share information with others and provides them the constant opportunity to check what other people are doing and saying[3]. FOMO has several types. In the article “Does Digital Downtime Fix FOMO?”, It is written that there are 4 types namely : The self defense kind (It is about needing to know everything being said about “everybody” in case something’s being said about oneself), The power trip kind (part of being a drama queen or king who grows his or her power (or thinks s/he does by stirring up drama and getting people worked up), The busy body kind (being up on the latest “news” in one’s peer group), The social capital kind (this is more “transactional” than power grabbing via drama or social cruelty. It’s just knowing what’s going on to build up, spend and share social capital, but it can still get gossipy and fuel pettiness or worse).
I feel that I’m the first FOMO type, or maybe I unconsciously become the second, third, or even fourth type of FOMO. Initially I wasn’t the type of person who always update on instagram, but since the appearance of Instastory feature where we can upload photos and videos that will disappear within 24 hours, I became fond of doing any updates. All the activities I did I uploaded on Instastory. I’m too busy seeing “seen by”. I’m ignoring the fact that my impression management could have done to construct another’s mind about me doesn’t match my expectations. Another feeling that comes when I was on Instagram is the emergence of a sense of insecure. It can’t be denied that sometimes I feel envy with the lives of others, but I don’t know their real life.
I don’t blame Instagram because I feel FOMO. Certainly not. I just feel that I can’t control the “FOMO” that is inside me into something positive. The FOMO that is inside me actually drowns my productivity. Surely this doesn’t happen to everyone. But it doesn’t happen to me.Therefore, this the reason why I left Instagram for a while, changing my FOMO into one positive thing. I use my FOMO for a motivational tool. I read books more often than usual, write more, watch more movies and work on tasks with focus.
Maybe this seems excessive. Again, I just tell my experience. Not that everyone who is FOMO and uses Instagram becomes unproductive. Lots of people who actually started their careers, became more productive, and still achievers can even make money with Instagram.
[1] JWT Marketing Communications. (2012, March 7). Fear Of Missing Out p.4. Retrieved from JWT Intelligence:http://www.jwtintelligence.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/F_JWT_FOMO-update_3.21.12.pdf
[2] The Fear of Missing Out diakses pada http://www.danherman.com/The-Fear-of-Missing-Out-(FOMO)-by-Dan-Herman.html. Dr. Dan Herman an is a keen observer and researcher of human behavior and markets as well as a prolific creator of innovative concepts, models and methods in his fields of expertise.
[3] Abel, J. P., Buff, C. L., & Burr, S. A. (2016). Social Media and the Fear of Missing Out : Scale Development and Assesment. Journal of Bussiness & Economics Research , 36.
References :
Abel, J. P., Buff, C. L., & Burr, S. A. (2016). Social Media and the Fear of Missing Out : Scale Development and Assesment. Journal of Bussiness & Economics Research , 36.
JWT Marketing Communications. (2012, March 7). Fear Of Missing Out p.4. Retrieved from JWT Intelligence:http://www.jwtintelligence.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/F_JWT_FOMO-update_3.21.12.pdf
Przybylski, A. K., Murayama, K., DeHaan, C. R., & Gladwell, V. (2013). Motivational, Emotional and Behavioral Correlates of Fear of Missing Out. Computers in Human Behavior , 1841-1848.
The Fear of Missing Out diakses pada http://www.danherman.com/The-Fear-of-Missing-Out-(FOMO)-by-Dan-Herman.html
The Home of FOMO diakses pada http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2014/07/29/fomo-history/
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