<\/p>\n
Are you compulsively checking your phone for e-mails, Twitter notifications or Facebook updates? You might be suffering from FOMO.<\/p>\n
In a previous article\u00a0<\/a>we mentioned that the word hashtag<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>has been added to the Oxford Dictionary last year. Believe it or not FOMO <\/em>made the cut in 2013 already. Google\u00a0defines FOMO as follows:<\/p>\n FOMO \u02c8f\u0259\u028am\u0259\u028a\/ noun informal<\/em><\/p>\n 1. anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on a social media website.<\/em><\/p>\n “I realized I was a lifelong sufferer of FOMO”<\/em><\/p>\n Although FOMO isn’t directly attributed\u00a0to social media, it does aggravate the situation. Fear of missing out (FOMO) is merely the modern terminology for “the grass is always greener on the other side” (Psychologies magazine, 18 June 2012<\/a>)<\/p>\n With so many options and choice available to us, it’s no wonder we feel dissatisfied with our lives. Fortunately a few years back\u00a0we didn’t know we were missing out, but social platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn make it impossible for us not\u00a0to see what our peers are up to – socially and career wise.<\/p>\n However, social media\u00a0hardly ever gives a realistic portrayal of someone’s life. \u00a0Who tweets about their sick cat, problems with plumbing\u00a0or the howling\u00a0dog next door? We’d rather show our extravagant holiday, meal at an upmarket restaurant or the expensive wine we’re drinking.<\/p>\n According to a nationwide survey<\/a> done in June 2012 by a pharmaceutical firm, over 62% of about 3\u00a0000 respondents aged between 15 and 50 years said that they live in “constant fear” of missing out on something more exciting that what they are doing.<\/p>\n But how do we prevent ourselves from becoming swept up in the hysteria of social media and this constant nagging feeling that we’re missing something? GQ <\/a>\u00a0and Nir and Far<\/a>\u00a0have a few ideas, but it all boils down to living and enjoying your life the way you want to and stop trying to keep up with the rest of the world. So why not rather suffer from JOMO (Joy of Missing Out)?<\/p>\n