Driven by Fear
Our new digital world, which has spawned an always-on mindset, can be witnessed throughout almost all components of our lives–including news. Like many of my millennial peers, my consumption habits seem to be driven by social media. But after a close 24-hour evaluation of my habits, I have realized that what spurs my desire to consume media is instead the fear of missing out, or FOMO.
Just before 6 a.m. the ringing begins from my bedside table. I reach over for my iPhone, which is emitting the irritating noise, turn off my alarm, and proceed to check for any interesting news alerts that I may have received since the previous evening. Nothing catches my eye, so I proceed with my normal routine and check Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Snapchat to see what I’ve missed.
Once I finish my circuit of checking social media, I move onto my inbox for the awaiting newsletters. While I read a variety of email newsletters–including The Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch, theSkimm, PRSA, PRWeek and more–I discovered that I rarely go in search of my own news. When it comes to procuring news, I am lazy–perhaps an entitled millennial. By this I mean that I expect my news to be provided to me in a concise, informative and entertaining manner — as is with the email newsletters that I receive on a daily basis that outline the top headlines of the last 24 hours.
What drives my need to consume information the moment I wake? FOMO, my fear of missing out. I don’t want to be the only person that didn’t know Donald Trump apparently had intimate interactions with a porn star named Stormy Daniels, that Kim and Kanye named their daughter Chicago, or that the government shut down. While social media has given us the ability to reach the world with the touch of a button, it also means there is exponentially more to know and engage with–and therefore, more to miss.
Another startling revelation was the discovery that I do not actually read very much news. Instead, I get news through the iPhone’s podcast app, from which I am able to listen to a wide range of shows, from NPR to the BBC and even The Wall Street Journal. Podcasts have become such a large component of how I get news since I can listen and multitask. With my “modern newspaper” at my fingertips I can listen while I put on makeup in the morning, as I drive to work or when I work out at the gym.
From this brief experiment, it became evident that I am tethered to my smartphone. Perhaps this shouldn’t come as a surprise with the constant reports of our societies growing smartphone addiction. Our lives revolve around our phones, we use them to wake us up, give us directions, entertain us and so much more. The centrality of smartphones provides incredible opportunities, many of which have yet to be imagined.
