Fear of missing out

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The fear of missing out (German: fear of missing something , acronym FoMO) is a form of social anxiety / fear / concern. The phenomenon describes the compulsive worry of missing out on a social interaction, an unusual experience, or some other satisfying event and not being able to stay up to date. This feeling goes hand in hand with or is reinforced by modern technologies such as cell phones and social networks .

Manifestations

FoMO can appear in two different forms: without and in connection with technical devices.

Without technical devices

The fear of missing out is as old as society. People organize themselves in groups , but are only part of it temporarily. Group membership is a human need, so the feeling of being absent can become uncomfortable. Duke University psychologist and behaviorist Dan Ariely describes the phenomenon as a fear of making wrong decisions about how to spend your time and missing out on the most popular parties, funniest actions, or experiences. This leads to constant inner unrest, to a rush from event to event. Often one can observe a constant glance at the clock and the worry that one might miss something elsewhere. The phenomenon is often accompanied by a loss of the ability to enjoy things .

In connection with technical devices

In its manifestation in connection with technical devices, FoMO describes the pressure of constantly having to be on the Internet in order not to miss any experience or encounter. This feeling, which has always existed, has intensified in recent years under the influence of digital media and mobile communication. Media are accessible at all times and make society accessible regardless of time and location. Social media provide faster and deeper insight into the lives of friends and acquaintances than would otherwise be possible. With constant status updates, users of Facebook, Twitter and Co. can be informed about the activities of their friends. Behavioral researchers believe that this increases the fear of missing out on important things. In addition, the social networks offer the possibility of constant comparison with others. Experts assume that the phenomenon is overwhelming, because the amount of information that can be obtained via social networks is too great. FoMO occurs both in people who use social networks occasionally and in those who use them excessively. The condition is often viewed as a syndrome for the communication-dominated age.

The “gaming disorder” in the ICD 11 catalog of worldwide standardized diseases by the WHO caused a stir in the run-up to the event . A psychologist at Oxford University warned against this classification in an open letter with around 30 colleagues:

“There is a risk that such diagnoses will be misused. It should be checked whether, in the case of excessive gambling, underlying problems such as depression or social anxiety disorders do not have to be treated. "

- Open letter from Andy Przybylski.

According to the German Press Agency , Vladimir Poznyak from the “WHO Program on Substance Abuse” takes the opposite view :

“There are clear boundaries between normal gambling and gambling addiction. In the ICD-11 three criteria would be mentioned: slipping control about the frequency and duration of the game, increasing priority of the game over other activities and continuation even with negative consequences. "

- Vladimir Poznyak, WHO :

The concept of fear of missing out has also been scientifically investigated with regard to smartphones. FoMo has been suggested as a potential cause of inattentive walking and accidents caused by smombies in traffic. Study results suggest that FoMO, regardless of age and gender, causes both inattentive walking, the tendency to engage in virtual social interactions while walking, and dangerous road accidents.

Symptoms

FoMO can be noticeable as follows, for example:

  • It's sad when friends meet and have fun and you're not there.
  • You are afraid that the experiences of friends or other people will be better than your own.
  • You feel restless and nervous when you don't know what your friends are up to at the moment.
  • When you do something, you want to share it with others online, for example on social media platforms.
  • One is very frequent and habitual on social networks, also while eating or in company.
  • You have trouble concentrating while studying or working because you feel the urge to be online there.
  • One has the need to use a mobile phone while driving.

treatment

In order to counteract this phenomenon, it must first be recognized that media are used problematically . Media use must therefore be reflected on, with questions like: Was that really important news today, or was it a pointless distraction? In the second step, you can reduce the distraction, if necessary, by turning off notifications, muting the cell phone or something similar. If the use of technical devices cannot be reduced - for example for work - communication processes can be optimized and made more efficient. For example, the e-mail only contains the most important information or you can resort to a faster solution: the phone. Automation of processes can also help, for example through “social media opening times”. In this way, messages can be collected and thus read and answered more quickly. In order to combat fear, knowledge and self-control are necessary.

Epidemiology

A study by the international advertising agency JWT Intelligence found that social networks intensify the FoMO phenomenon, that young people are more affected by FoMO than older people and that young men are more affected than young women. The study also found that FoMOTics were more likely than other people to experience negative feelings when using Facebook. In addition, according to the study, people who were less satisfied with their lives and the satisfaction of their needs were more affected.

literature

  • Konstantin Nowotny: FoMO is full of POMO: Many are driven into addiction by the fear of missing out on something, in "Dschungel", supplement to Jungle World , 32, August 9, 2018, pp. 8-11 ( online ).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Dennis Horn: Fomo? - Or Yolo? In: WDR blog. July 18, 2013, archived from the original ; Retrieved May 5, 2014 .
  2. ↑ Quotations from Deutsches Ärzteblatt , June 19, 2018
  3. ↑ Markus Appel, Nina Krisch, Jan-Philipp Stein, Silvana Weber: Smartphone zombies! Pedestrians' distracted walking as a function of their fear of missing out . In: Journal of Environmental Psychology . tape 63 , June 2019, p. 130-133 , doi : 10.1016 / j.jenvp.2019.04.003 ( elsevier.com [accessed November 26, 2019]).
  4. ↑ Fomo phenomenon . An article from Easy Generation. Retrieved May 5, 2014.