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Tianren Yin

Instructor Andreea Corona

Linguistics 3C 10:00 AM

10/29/2023

Navigating the Digital Labyrinth: Understanding the Impact and Confronting the Fear of Missing

Out (FoMO) in the Modern Age

People often have the fear of missing out (FoMO), a phenomenon that pervades our daily

lives. Thinking about a scenario where we are getting different kinds of messages and information

from various applications such as Facebook and YouTube, we unconsciously anticipate the details

of every message and piece of information, even though it may just be an advertisement or

something not that essential. This persistent urge to stay informed, even during significant events

like meetings or presentations, reflects our innate desire for social interaction. Once their

information emerges, we tend to check the content rather than just leave it until the event ends.

The FoMO was worsened by the COVID-19 epidemic. We became more and more stressed out by

overthinking, the low quality of communication, and the challenges of mental health problems.

FoMO originates from human nature's desire for social interaction and is intensified by

modern technologies that can be easily seen and commonly used anywhere in our daily lives.

Corroborating this viewpoint, as Raian Ali, John McAlaney, and Aarif Alutaybi discussed in their

article, “Redesigning Social Media Platforms to Reduce FoMO,” “previous generations may have

had periods of respite from the social world. But the emergence of social media platforms and

smartphones means access to social information and interaction, 24 hours a day, has never been

easier.” In essence, Ali et al. is suggesting that socializing is a common human trait, the unfiltered

inflow of information through modern technology has the unintended consequence of intensifying
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the FoMO Some people, however, might argue that spending more time socializing through

technology is not inherently negative and has many benefits that make people’s lives more

convenient. Admittedly, modern technology makes information more accessible, and people could

find information easily at any time and any place. Platforms such as YouTube and TikTok offer

abundant educational content, making ambiguous knowledge easy and quick to understand in a

short period of time. As Jacek Chmiel claims in “Fear of Missing Out in Tech,”, “FoMO is also a

great motivation for all the tech people to learn new skills, try new things, and be more open to

even changing their job profiles”. It seems to be suggesting that FoMO might be a kind of driving

force to successful learning.

Nevertheless, besides the glorified informative benefits, our lives are consequently

inundated with a vast amount of information. The Internet becomes a new way to observe others’

lives through instant messages and social media, such as Instagram, Discord, or TikTok, leading

us to compulsively check for new updates and information. Due to the massive amount of

information produced daily, those preposterous and jarring instant messages gradually occupy our

lives. As the value of the information people acquire diminishes with the massive messages, once

they are placed out of this massively informative zone, people may fear losing contact with what

they value.

The consequences of FoMO extend beyond our digital lives and can have negative

implications for both our mental health and interpersonal relationships. These negative effects

would result in a fear of missing out, leading to barriers to online information and even the

connection among individuals through various social media. Ali et al.’s main point can be

summarized as follows: FoMO is closely associated with the constant attention-seeking nature of

social media. Once people connect with other individuals, they may be worried about losing their
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sense of existence by missing out on associated information to be eligible, deference and popularity

in their niche, an improper reaction toward certain blogs, and so on. Even slight delays in responses

can trigger anxiety due to their uncertainty and uncharity, as individuals may start questioning

their positions in the eyes of those they interact with and what other people think about them.

However, as Ali et al. all indicate, “a message left on 'unread'... may be interpreted by the sender

as a snub, when in reality the recipient could have intended to do so but then lost their WIFI

connection or entered a meeting.” Those unnecessary worries by mishaps may be evoked by those

unconscious snubs, resulting in individual angst. For example, one implication of Ali et al.’s

argument is that the number of likes received in a post, according to their research, “has been

demonstrated to be linked to emotional wellbeing.” This perspective is further supported by the

effect of social media on unconfident individuals, which suggests that the fear of missing out can

also lead to a constant need for comparison with others. As in the video “What's on your mind?”

indicates that social media may affect individuals’ thoughts about their lives by others’ highlights

from their posters. As the man in that video who falsified his life tends to be perfect, individuals

may feel compelled to constantly check social media platforms to see what others are doing. Due

to the existence of likes and subscription functions, those netizens will compare their own lives

with the lives of others to get more attention. However, this kind of comparison can be detrimental

to one's self-esteem and overall well-being, as it can foster feelings of envy, insecurity, and

dissatisfaction with one's own life. Just like the man in the video, he lost everything but left regrets

in his life because of his self-esteem reaction to FoMO.

In a broader context, FoMO also works to cope with anonymous messages, such as the app

Paralign. This is the uniqueness of social media: people could respond and discuss with other

people without knowing other people’s names. This provides more space for people to freely share
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their thoughts and opinions since nobody can judge you because they don’t know who you are. In

the current network environment, anonymous messages offer a temporary escape from the stress

of constant connectivity. This is supported by an assessment of social media platforms, to which

Ali et al. refer to the relationship between online social and emotional wellbeing. The study reveals

that people's explicit attention to others can lead to more FoMO and even psychological stress. In

anonymous chatting, people reduce their physical interaction with the outside world, but they also

keep receiving and processing other people's information.

Through this depersonalized communication, people's psychological pressure is

significantly reduced. According to the article, “Anonymity as a Moderator of the Relationship

Between FoMO (Fear of Missing Out) and Psychological Well-Being," by the sample study with

232 participants between the ages of 18 and 59, Senanur Bacaksız et al. reveal, “[A] significant

and negative relationship is observed between FoMO levels and the psychological well-being of

individuals who have an anonymous account,” despite some confident people without an

anonymous account having no difference in online stress caused by the fear of missing out.

Another example of this can be seen in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, where FoMO has

shaped our digital habits: Isolation during the pandemic has driven people to seek information and

entertainment online. Ceren Hayran and Lalin Anik, in the article “Well-Being and Fear of Missing

Out (FOMO) on Digital Content in the Time of COVID-19: A Correlational Analysis among

University Students,” point out that "due to the increase in entertainment time, people will pay

attention to things that they once had no time to pay attention to.” At its core, Hanyran and Lalin’s

research is conveying the idea that the proliferation of spare time from the pandemic may enhance

their interaction with the internet and evoke a desire to chase the latest information, which is FoMO.

Due to the inner emptiness caused by the epidemic and the lack of work, the Internet may become
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a temporary safe haven. Even if the pandemic ends, “our digital habits and the accompanying

effects may linger even when the pandemic eventually recedes," as indicated by Ceren Hayranand

et al.

I sincerely argue that FoMO could not be an individual problem, and it may relate to every

person in the digital age. When we become aware of the negative impact of FoMO, we can

consciously avoid it and manage it. Through rational self-regulation and self-management of

FoMO, invisible traps of FoMO can be more effectively identified, which finally leads to personal

growth. For example, FoMO can make us kind of lose ourselves in the long-lasting information

overload and comparisons with others. The key moment that we can regain self-confidence and a

sense of efficacy, however, is when we intentionally confront and improve our FoMO. Managing

FoMO does not just refer to forbidding the usage of smart phones or turning off notifications; it

also involves actively building genuine relationships and starting with caring for the people around

us, igniting curiosity about the beautiful nature. If more and more people can purposely overcome

the negative impact of FoMO and explore new life paths, I believe that might be the ultimate

purpose and beautiful aspiration of such research.

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Reference
Bacaksız, Senanur, et al. “Anonymity as a Moderator of the Relationship Between FoMO (Fear

of Missing Out) and Psychological Well-Being.” Psychological Reports, vol. 126, no. 5,

SAGE Publishing, June 2023, pp. 2303–21. https://doi.org/10.1177/00332941231180115.

Chmiel, Jacek. “Fear of Missing Out in Tech &Ndash; Avenga.” Avenga, 26 Oct.

2023, www.avenga.com/magazine/fear-of-missing-out-in-tech-it.

McAlaney, John. “Redesigning Social Media Platforms to Reduce ‘FoMO.’” The

Conversation, theconversation.com/redesigning-social-media-platforms-to-reduce-fomo-

124228#:~:text=Enabling%20people%20to%20specify%20their,fully%20engaged%20all

%20the%20time.
HigtonBros. “What's on your mind?”, YouTube, uploaded by HigtonBros, 2 Jun 2014,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxVZYiJKl1Y

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