A number of my friends have this label that they put on quite a few people of our group: FOMO. This isn’t a derogatory term at all, but I feel like it captures the attitude of many people. It stands for ‘Fear Of Missing Out’, which is a diagnoses that can describe much of our ‘online’ generation.

We've never before had a world where you know what your friends are doing within seconds of them doing it, from anywhere in the world. Status updates have taken over phones and computer screens, causing a world-wide sensation that you’re not doing as much as others.

The problem is that we’re bombarded by status updates of all of our ‘fiends’ and they all combine to a general feeling that we’re not accomplishing what everyone else has. But in truth these are all single events in people’s lives, and there is no way to attain all from one lifetime.

A study by the University of Gothenburg in Sweden showed that about 1/3 of the male users of Facebook use it to brag, and in general 2/3 of all users use it for positive life events, that is, only posting the best things that have happened.

This means that only 1/3 of people post negative things on Facebook, and who really wants to follow those people? So we can also assume that a good number of these negative posters have a low friend number, or at least get demoted to a friend that doesn't appear on your stream.

So what are the effects of an average of 60-80 minutes on Facebook each day only seeing the most positive life achievements from your friends? The need to do it all yourself, or be where it is all happening, so that you don’t miss out on what could be the best thing.

A party that you didn't know about 10 minutes ago at a bar you can’t make it to will suddenly make you desperately wish you were there, or even make you drop whatever you’re doing or break plans, important or not, and try to get there because it must be the most exciting thing to be part of.

Or at least that’s what Facebook is saying.

So is there a solution? Does there really need to be a solution? Is wanting more for your life a bad thing, or does it help advance us as people to accomplish more, do more, see more and interact more?

At some point you have to think that since you literally can’t do everything, or be everywhere, there will be a time where watching status updates could depress you. And is it at that point that you stop watching them, or continue the course you’re taking with wishing or trying to do everything. Disconnecting from social networks may prove to be the best antidote to the constant trying to keep up. Living a life based on your own path could be an option.

But then at the company water cooler, as someone describes the best thing they did yesterday, an in-person status update, does it all start again?