“Omg guyss!! We have got to do the buddy challenge on Instagram! It’s such hype these days, everyone’s doing it.”, texted Claire on her friends’ Snapchat group. 

“Hey sis let’s order the new cheek tint from that new shop down the lane. All my friends are using it and it’s so trendy these days. We’ve gotta order at least two so that I can show them off on my stories”, Aleen said to her elder sister while swiping the phone. 

“That new café near the gym is so full of people every day. We should skip the gym and go there someday. I love their interior already”

“Mom, everyone I know is going on a vacation or doing something exciting this summer! Why are we not going anywhere? How am I gonna look in front of all my friends when I tell them that I was home all summer!?”

We live in the age of social media, where with just one click everything is possible. It gives us endless possibilities of doing things that we have always wondered about. One-click and your whole life are out there in front of people, some of whom you know but mostly you don’t.

Social media was made so that people can connect and reconnect with people. It has given space to so many new friendships, relationships, and talents. But as there are two sides to a coin, social media has now become a virtual competition where people want to be better than everyone they know. It has inflicted an inferiority complex in so many people who think that they have a boring life not realizing that people’s lives on social media are pretentious and it’s merely a glimpse of what they want to show others.

What is Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) 

Fear of missing out is a form of social anxiety that has come up because of social media. When an individual believes that others’ lives are adventurous and exciting while their own life is monotonous and boring and they get anxious about this thought.

When a lot of people are doing a certain activity and a person with FOMO isn’t, then, he’ll get anxious and worried about the fact that he is missing out on all the fun or popularity or acceptance that others are gaining out of it.  He may also presume that others will think low of him if he is not keeping up with the trends or is not following them. He may also develop a fear of not being accepted by others.

FOMO can drive people crazy sometimes when they are too adamant about fitting into the frame and can go to any extent in doing so.

So many cases have been reported worldwide where people met with fatal accidents while clicking aesthetic selfies or doing dangerous activities like practicing physical exercise without supervision, playing with fire, glass, or sharp objects just to make videos!

Anxiety creeps inside of them when they fear they would be left out, or wouldn’t be accepted by their peers.

FOMO is harmful because people, in some cases, consume drugs and alcohol and even involve in gambling or other illegal activities in order to be accepted and often end up becoming addicts.

HOW TO DEAL WITH FOMO

• Social media detox: Staying away from social media may be difficult at first but will eventually turn out to be a blessing for you.
• Improving self-control: Having a life where YOU regulate and control your activities, desires, and urges is better than having a life where you are controlled like a puppet by someone else.
• Meditation: Healthy lifestyle is any day better than having a lethargic one along with the benefit of getting the peace of mind.
• Seek help: Seeking help from a professional or a friend can also be very helpful and would empower you to become better.

CONCLUSION 

Social media can be a curse sometimes but with proper management and self-control FOMO can vanish and you wouldn’t mind doing whatever you like without being persuaded to do what everyone is doing. You don’t need validation from anyone for whatever you do and however, you do. Your specialities make you Unique and beautiful.

Other Important Articles

• Why you shouldn’t use social media to impress people
• Influence of Social Media on Our Self Image
• The fake life of Social Media influencers
• What Are ANXIETY DISORDERS
• Brain is stronger than your Phobias
• The role of media and cartoon in violence in children