Turn FOMO into JOMO, the Joy of Missing Out

We hear this term a lot when we discuss excessive screen time: FOMO. FOMO means the Fear of Missing Out. That feeling when you think there is a lot going on, and you have no idea what. It’s an uncomfortable feeling. It’s a feeling we want to get solved asap. Social media is a place where a lot is going on. Upcoming events? Social media will tell you. Your friend had a fantastic day because she bought a new iPhone? Social media will tell you. An unfortunate event happened in the world? Social media will tell you. Corona updates? Social media will tell you. There is a lot of information published and consumed on social media. A large portion of your daily visual input comes from social media. No wonder people feel weird and uncomfortable when that daily visual input is missing. The thing is: we don’t want to feel left out. We want to matter. We want to belong. “And belonging is not possible when you ignore social media” That’s what FOMO makes you think. I’m here to reassure you: it’s not true. You don’t need to participate (constantly) on social media. A bigger problem is: when you do kill that FOMO, there is another FOMO that will hit you sooner or later. That FOMO is 10x before powerful. That’s a FOMO you should pay attention to.