Fear of missing out?
FOMO for short!
I find it to be an interesting phenomenon. It’s associated with information overload and net compulsion — both known as internet addiction disorders (IADs).
If you haven’t heard about it, you are good, but it’s possible you are experiencing it without even knowing. People complain about it on social media all the time. The question everybody asks is how to deal with it?
The answer is simple!
Some of us love information so we don’t even care about FOMO. While others would love to be more productive, and dimish its negative effects.
How do we deal with it?
There is a simple solution and it’s called moderation. Ignoring information is like trying to ignore mom or dad. We think everything we see is important to our lives but it’s actually not true. This may come from the need to want to matter in the world, which is an obsession and not a healthy hobby. Just giving up on information consumption is not something you can completely achieve from one day to the other, so your best bet is to moderate.
How do we moderate?
You simply lay out a plan or strategy on how you want to interact with web information and how often you prefer to see certain content? Most websites have moderation tools. There are available for a reason. But they are usually a bit too technical for our liking, which I believe is done intentionally.
Spend a couple of minutes a day figuring out ways to reduce the volume and type of information you consume. Sometimes it is just about how creative you are. It will bring a lot more joy and pleasure to the consumption of information. It will reduce the amount of time you spend on the web. And you will be more productive. Twitter has mute options. Medium has interests. YouTube has filters. Your phone has block notifications.
We spoke about the negative effect of FOMO. I offered a viable solution: moderation. Ignoring the consumption of information is not feasible. There is only one thing left, go ahead and begin moderating the content you consume.
