Question: Is FOMO real?
I 100% believe that the fear of missing out is real. And I can say from first-hand experience that it is real. But, I will say that it happens more in middle school and freshman year when everyone was still trying to figure out their friend groups and who they wanted to hang out with. Like Samuel says, “[e]ven before Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, there were probably conferences you missed attending, concerts you couldn’t get into, or parties you didn’t get invited to… you just didn’t know about them” (3). What she means by we didn’t know about them before is the fact that social media makes it so much more noticeable that we are missing out. Social media is that constant reminder that you weren’t invited to girls night out as you are scrolling through all of the pictures they were posting. I definitely, have questioned myself when I saw my friends hanging out without inviting me, why didn’t I get invited? Am I not good enough? Do they not like me? Did they forget about me? This was all running through my head at only at the age 12 and 13. And that was solely because of social media. I did have Instagram and snapchat a young age, I am the oldest of my siblings so my parents didn’t know what was happening, or what the effects of social media would have. They didn’t know that I was sitting in my room on a Saturday night sad that all my friends were hanging out without me. Samuel also goes on to say that “…But its the equivalent of standing in the middle of a crowded room with your eyes and ears covered so you can pretend your all alone”(3). She is answering questions before they are even asked. She is saying that, though you might think that just deleting your social media will solve it, it’s not that easy. I believe that FOMO is most definitely a thing, and will always continue to have an effect.
