Social Media
FOMO is positively correlated with higher rates of social media use. Social media connects individuals and showcases the best of other people’s lives. People experience FOMO when they feel like others on social media are engaging in positive life experiences that they personally are not experiencing. Symptoms of this social media-related FOMO include anxiety, loneliness, and feelings of bahrain leads inferiority compared to others. Self-esteem plays a key role in the level of feelings a person experiences when experiencing FOMO, as their self-worth is affected by the people they observe on social media.
There are two types of anxiety: one that is genetically linked and permanent, and one that is temporary. Temporary states of anxiety are more associated with the fear of missing out and are directly related to individuals browsing social media sites for short periods of time. This anxiety is caused by a loss of belonging due to the concept of social exclusion. FOMO sufferers may increasingly seek access to other people's social lives and consume more and more real-time information.
In a 2012 survey, 83% of respondents reported information overload, with too much to watch and read. The constant stream of information people receive through social media leads to a fear of missing out, as people feel worse about themselves for not staying up to date with relevant information. Social media shows exactly what people are missing in real time, including meetups, opportunities, and other events, leading to a fear of missing out on other relevant future events.
Another survey showed that nearly 40% of people aged 12 to 67 said that social media has led to a stronger fear of missing out. Millennials are the generation most affected by fear of missing out, with the highest percentage compared to other generations, due to the dominance of social media among this generation.RelatedThe social media platforms used include Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, Xiaohongshu, and Douyin.