FOMO

FOMO (fear of missing out) is a psychological phenomenon characterised by anxiety that other people are having rewarding experiences from which one is excluded. This fear drives a person to constantly monitor what is happening in their social circle, often at the expense of enjoying the present moment.

FOMO is a modern social anxiety amplified by digital technology. It is fed by social networks, which show only the best moments of other people's lives: holidays, parties, successes. This distorted mirror of reality leads to a persistent feeling that one's own life is boring and incomplete by comparison. FOMO is therefore not just about missing one event but about a chronic sense that your whole life is falling behind.

Advantages

Motivation to act: a mild form of FOMO can prompt a person to leave their comfort zone, sign up for an interesting course or seek out new social opportunities.
An effective marketing tool: retailers exploit this fear through limited editions, stock counters or countdowns to the end of a sale, which speeds up the buying decision.
Maintaining social ties: the urge to “stay in the loop” can encourage people to contact friends and take part in social events, which prevents social isolation.

Disadvantages

Chronic anxiety and dissatisfaction: it leads to a persistent state of nervousness and dissatisfaction with oneself and one's life, because the ideal being compared against is unattainable.
Mental exhaustion and burnout: trying to be everywhere and do everything leads to sustained stress, fatigue and ultimately burnout.
Impulsive and irrational decisions: under the influence of FOMO people often spend money on things they do not need or promise to attend events they have neither the time nor the energy for.
Social media addiction: compulsive, repeated checking of notifications and feeds becomes an addiction that disrupts sleep, work and real personal relationships.

Practical example

A student sees on Instagram how his whole group of friends is enjoying a festival without him. A feeling of anxiety and isolation arises (FOMO). To suppress it he immediately buys an expensive ticket to a similar festival, even though he has important exams the following week and no financial reserve for the ticket. He is then stressed about both studying and his finances, which makes his overall well-being worse still.