Fear of missing out (FOMO)
Did you ever have fear of missing out on something? What does this trendy acronym fear of missing out (FOMO) mean? It’s the anxiety felt when you find (through social media) that others are having fun together and you are left out. In this era of 4G/5G Internet speed, the news spreads like wildfire. With everyone having a camera in hand, clicking pictures or making videos has become child’s play (literally). Besides, there is no need to worry about the number of times you click pictures. You can always delete the undesired ones at another click of a button (though it is easier said than done). Besides you can apply filters to enhance the quality of the picture.
And these attractive and chosen few are shared on various platforms. Thus the world comes to know about what that particular person is wearing, cooking, or where he is holidaying. McGinni, first coined the term FOMO, in 2004. Needless to say, it came into being when social media like Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, and Instagram were born. We all face this condition at some point or the other and we are compelled to run that extra mile to get noticed. For example, an enthusiastic member sends pictures of the Diwali celebration, rangoli, décor, and delicacies. Others don’t want to be left behind and follow suit one after the other, so much so that it gives complexity to those who shy away from publicity.
The lockdown has given all of us time to explore our hidden talents or revive the lost ones. So there is a galore of sketches, paintings, singing, and dancing all displayed on social media. Almost everyone has tried innumerable recipes so much so that the YouTube recipe channels are churning out new dishes by the day claiming theirs to be the easiest and the yummiest. The recipe book days are passé. I hear the grocery bill has gone up considerably for every household. But unless you post the picture on social media, your task remains incomplete. Thus before you take a bite of this seemingly delectable outcome of your endeavor, you have to post it on social media or you miss out. After all, people have to see it to believe it.
In the olden days, our elders used to keep the dish in front of the idol of God as naivedya or bhog before consuming it. However, I lack any significant talent hidden or otherwise. I miserably fail in the art of displaying and end up having no pictures to exhibit or only a few. Which gets repeated when I am urged to post them to accept a challenge (this is another task). I am a part of innumerable WA groups, be it family, friends, or professional ones. Although I forward a post to only a few very close ones. I am reluctant to leave any of them for fear of missing out on things that are being discussed there.
Thus my phone remains eternally cluttered with nonessential things. So now I have joined the bandwagon of the “be the first one to like, wish, or know” craze. Agreed that social media has brought us closer and we are better connected albeit it has made our whole life extremely competitive. We are in Bhala uski life meri life se haseen kaise? League. The bottom line is all of us are good at something and let’s be proud of our achievements and ourselves. Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself because you are unique and there is no one like you.
Dr. Manisha Shembekar
MD, DA
Joint Managing Director
Omega Hospital, Nagpur