FOMO…A New Disease

FOMO stands for “Fear Of Missing Out”. This refers to an individual’s apprehensions that others are having fun, great time, great experiences at various social events, social interactions and he/she is missing all the fun. This fear comes when an individual is continually browsing social media platforms, and goes through various posts by their friends and relatives, where one thinks he/she is not a part of.

Social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. have become a major contributing factor for increase of FOMO in various age groups across India. The social media users have got addicted to their individual presence on these platforms, as a result of which, they don’t like to miss out on any social gathering / event. The reason is simple if they miss the event then they will miss out the opportunity of being on social platform.  And if at all this happens, most of them suffer from FOMO.

Many marketers have started using FOMO as their major marketing strategy to promote their brands. Marketers often communicate their customers “not-to-miss-out” the chance of buying products at lower price, say SALE. Most of the e-commerce brands use the strategy of countdown timer, telling the customers how much less time they have, persuading consumers to stay connected and make the purchase in stipulated time period.

All said and done, FOMO leads to dissatisfaction which in-turn creates anxiety in individuals. A person loses physical health - obesity, insomnia, diseases due to lack of exercise, etc., as well as mental health – loneliness, anxiety, depression, increased level of negativity, etc. Hence, it becomes extremely important to use social media in its true sense not letting it affect one’s health.