An Insight Into A Young Adults Mind: FOMO’s Effect On Mental Health
FOMO is a major side effect of social media and it brings along issues that need to be discussed towards our young adults.
Written by Adam Belmares, Nicole Campos, and Victoria Derkacz | May 13, 2024
While scrolling past an endless feed of mutuals and/or influencers’ posts of glamorous snapshots of their lifestyles, you start to have an overwhelming feeling of dread, jealousy, and sadness. Thoughts start to leak in saying, “I should’ve just wasted my money on going to that event,” “Why don’t I have more friends to hang out with?” or “I wish my life was more exciting”.
These feelings are not isolated to one person. Many people suffer from extreme FOMO, especially among young adults. According to a Baylor University study in 2019, “The Social Media Party: Fear of Missing Out (FoMO), Social Media Intensity, Connection, and Well-Being” by James A. Roberts, Ph.D., the Ben H. Williams Professor of Marketing, and Meredith David, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing in Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business, approximately 75% of young adults have dealt with FOMO.
With this information, it leads to the question, well, what does FOMO even do to a young adult? But first, we need to know a bit more about it.
Let’s Talk About Fomo
FOMO is an acronym for “Fear of Missing Out.” In the Merriam-Webster dictionary, it is defined as “fear of not being included in something (such as an interesting or enjoyable activity) that others are experiencing”.
This audio slideshow done by our team will provide basic information surrounding FOMO and its correlation with social media.
Consequences Of FOMO
Now, it’s not new to learn that social media can have negative effects on a person. But one can argue that FOMO is a very downplayed issue that is amplified with social media.
In a study called “The effect of fear of missing out on mental health: differences in different solitude behaviors” in 2023 by Xinyang Liu and colleagues of the Faculty of Psychology at Tianjin Normal University, the objective was to see if there was any relationship between behaviors of solitude, fear of missing out (FOMO), and mental health (depression, anxiety, and stress). They had used 616 college students and found social avoidance and loneliness were significant predictors of FOMO. They found FOMO positively predicted depression, anxiety, and stress as well.
The correlation that FOMO has with mental health raises major concern for our present youth. Especially when there has been a rise in internet use among teens, as seen in the Pew Research infographic from the previous audio slideshow.
In this infographic done by our team, dives into the additional consequences that FOMO brings out from social media with information provided by the Social Media Victims Law Center.
Not only does FOMO affect someone’s mental health, it also affects one’s physical well-being. This image from Pexel can be interpreted as a woman showing signs of insomnia.
Defeating FOMO
Defeating FOMO might sound a bit contradictory to many people because it is such a widespread issue that almost everyone with a social media presence has had before. Which is why the focus shouldn’t be to eliminate FOMO but to learn ways to prevent or lessen the effects of FOMO.
- Be more self aware.
In order for someone to realize they have a problem, they have to admit they have one. Acceptance is the first step in almost all recovery processes, and for good reason. Some signs to look out for for FOMO are being overwhelmed by information overload online, comparing yourself with others, and tracking others social media activity.
In this video provided by our team, it shows an interview between two different people and how they are self-aware of their FOMO.
2. Limit Social Media Apps usage
It is easier said than done, but luckily, there are apps to help limit your screen time. On almost all phones, you can easily set app limits in the default settings of your phone. But with an added layer of difficulty to help keep yourself accountable, apps like Opal would be perfect to add to the challenge.
3. Know That You Are Not Alone
The internet is filled with billions of people who have access to a social media platform. Feelings of depression, anxiety, stress, and loneliness are something that many people face on the internet due to FOMO.
In this FOMO podcast episode created by our team, Vicki, a community college student, and Christian, a young adult who is recovering from an accident, have a conversation about their perspective on FOMO.
4. Need Extra Help?
Call or visit (988) for free emotional support. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides 24/7 support for those in distress or need for mental health help.
This audio slideshow made by our team gives extra information and tips on FOMO.
Change #FOMO TO #JOMO
Let’s start living in utopia in our heads. Let’s not worry about others’ accomplishments. Let’s start living our lives. With JOMO (Joy of Missing Out), we can do just that. Disconnecting from the pressures of social media to enjoy life is essential to combat FOMO.
In this TedTalk, Kaashvi Mehta, an 11th grader, explains her journey of constantly having FOMO in her life until the pandemic guided her towards JOMO.
For more perspectives on FOMO check out this Wakelet created by our team.
