Pia Manson-Bishop Blog

                                                                                                      

Is FOMO actually an issue? Pia  

These days teenagers are constantly worried about what everyone else is doing, which in return causes teens to miss out on their own lives and things that truly matter. In fact, this is the true meaning of FOMO, that today effects young teenagers and adults all around the world. Fear-of-missing-out (FOMO) refers to feelings of anxiety that arise from the realization that you may be missing out on rewarding experiences that others are having. According to the report by the Australian Psychological Society (APS), one in two Australian teenagers suffer from FOMO, and subconsciously I am among one of these Australian teenagers without fully recognizing it. The Catholic Social Teachings is underlined by a range of principles which include the Human Dignity, Stewardship, and the common good. All three of these principles have been ignored when teenagers continue to downgrade themselves and others with the help of the worldwide used social media apps like Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, etc.

Today, in the media the idea of FOMO is displayed in movies, mostly unintentionally. An example of this would be “The perks of being a wildflower” a film by Stephen Chbosky. This film expresses the idea of FOMO as Charlie constantly feels left out and disconnected. Charlies feels this way because  he is already actively grappling with the pain of two traumatic deaths, and his post-traumatic stress disorder. The film emphasizes how inclusivity and tolerance can help people blossom when they are accepted for who they are and how painful life can be for people who are ignored or mistreated. During the film, Charlie's English teachers tells him that “He has to start participating in his own life, rather than simply observing, and taking in what others are doing".. Social media in a way connects to this because we are consistently online, checking status updates and posts by our friends and this the issue.

The Issue with constantly comparing ourselves and our lives to others is it can lead to metal illnesses like depression and loneliness by creating a feeling of FOMO. “The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel” – Steve Furtick. The reality is that we often serve ourselves a steady diet of FOMO when we mindlessly swipe, click and binge on our devices. Personally, this feeling of FOMO rises after motionally  scrolling on social media apps without me even realizing it, and this is where the issue lies. We as modern-day teenagers need to acknowledge when FOMO occurs. Acknowledging it can then help us to move away from the situation instead of ignoring it all we will, unintentionally increase levels of anxiety and loneliness in ourselves

In the churches response its positive guidance is the idea that Church leaders are a taking a proactive approach on social media platforms. They are aiming to meet youth and young adults as a way to provide a positive influence and continually support faith and religious groups. The church increases the social networks so teenagers can see when the church is meeting and certain functions. This is remarkable because it opens teenagers to see new, and fresh content on their social media platforms instead of content that increases anxiety and feelings of FOMO. To add limiting the addition of social media, mental reframing and mindfulness are all simple solutions to this issue. Mental reframing is a mental exercise designed to help us look at situations differently, by changing our mindset. 

On a global scale 24 percent of teens online almost constantly, experience FOMO!

However, if we learn to educate ourselves on this under looked issue, we together can slowly stop that 24 percent from rising.

Learn more about FOMO https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-cope-with-fomo-4174664