By: Jamie Barrientos
Over the weekend I took a day trip to a neighboring town and added a new snap to my story on Snapchat. A few minutes later, I received a text message that read, “why didnt you invite me?” At first, I was lost and then I remembered that’s right my snap!
It dawned on me that my friend was offended for not inviting them out on my day trip. Then I realized, I am engaging my followers and they must be experiencing FOMO or the fear of missing out.
I read an interesting article on NY Times regarding the same topic. The article poised questions regarding individuals who felt left out in their friends lives across various social media networks including Facebook, Twitter, Flickr..etc.
What is FOMO? Fear of missing out (FOMO) is the anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on a social media website.
My friend was experiencing FOMO and I realized that at certain times in my own life, I have experienced it myself. The social media universe allows for quick sharing of thoughts, updates, pictures and check ins to certain venues for special events. I have seen friends post their status updates at certain events, while I was at home and thought to myself, “why didnt I get an invite?’
A quick google search of FOMO will yield plenty of results on the topic that was created out of social media. Lifehacker wrote this nifty response and guide from an email a follower had sent. The follower was tired of missing out their friends events. The big question is, are you truly missing out?
I went on my day trip solo over the weekend to enjoy my time and share my own experiences, little did I know I had spawned a bit of FOMO to some of my friends.
Have you experienced FOMO or know anyone that has? Share your experiences.
Originally published on medium.
Jamie Barrientos | Music, Art, and Entertainment 