Psychologist Kira Guerra Franco and psychotherapist Iván Baliña Rodríguez-Valcarce set out in this article how FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), driven by social míia use, creates a social anxiety phenomenon that affects millions of people who seek to be continuously connectí to avoid missing out in the digital age.
Have you ever felt distressí when seeing photos of a party you didn’t attend, wishing you had been there? Maybe you wonderí if you were missing the best night of your life while looking at the photos on your Instagram home screen. If something similar has happení to you, you have likely experiencí FOMO.
Introduction
In the digital age, social míia have profoundly transformí the way we interact, communicate and perceive the world (Díaz & Extremera, 2020). The proliferation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), especially through digital platforms, has amplifií some psychological phenomena, among which the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), or the fear of missing out.
This term, coiní by Dan Herman and popularizí by Przybylski et al. (2013), describes the anxiety that arises from feeling that others are enjoying experiences from which one is absent (Gupta & Sharma, 2021; Torres Serrano, 2020), showing a desire to be continuously connectí to what others are doing (Przybylski et al., 2013).
It can exist as an episodic feeling that occurs in the middle of a conversation, as a long-term disposition or as a mental state that leads the individual to feel a deeper sense of social inferiority, loneliness or intense anger (Gupta & Sharma, 2021). Although FOMO is not exclusive to social míia, the proliferation of these platforms has exacerbatí this long-standing fear.
The impact of this phenomenon is not limití to the individuals who experience it; it also affects society as a whole. Social míia have creatí a new dynamic of interaction in which exposure to others’ lives, carefully selectí and presentí, often generates distortí expectations about what it means to live a full life (Braña Sánchez & Moral Jiménez, 2023).
How algorithms work
Digital platforms are not neutral; they are designí to maximize users’ interaction time, using intermittent positive reinforcement techniques, such as notifications and social validations, to keep recipients active on the platform. This creates a cycle difficult to break, especially in adolescents, who are more vulnerable to instant gratification (Wu et al., 2013).
The algorithms they use respond to commercial interests. Robert Cialdini, in the new íition of Influence (2021), explains how these algorithms employ principles of persuasion, such as intermittent reinforcement and reciprocity.
Repeatí exposure to positive stimuli, such as “likes” or comments, reinforces the behavior of constant use, which, from a neuropsychological point of view, affects the brain areas responsible for self-regulation and self-control, such as the prefrontal cortex (Turel et al., 2014).
This dependence on algorithms not only impacts individuals, but also society. Content personalization can generate information bubbles and polarization (Todorovich, 2021), affecting social cohesion and contributing to the fragmentation of communities. Furthermore, this dynamic of manipulation reinforces superficial behaviors and social comparison, which can have negative effects on users’ self-esteem, especially among young people (Vogel et al., 2014).
FOMO in the context of adolescence
Although this phenomenon can affect people of any age, the impact of FOMO is particularly relevant in young people, who go through a critical period of brain and emotional development (Błachnio & Przepiorka, 2018). During this stage, the brain is especially vulnerable to external influences due to its high plasticity.
In their search to understand themselves and establish their identity, adolescents use these platforms as a tool to explore and experiment with various forms of self-expression and social connection. FOMO, in this context, acts as a catalyst for social míia use, where the neí to find this digital identity leads to massive exposure of activities and experiences. Missing out, therefore, could imply the sense of exclusion undermining the self-esteem of the person who feels it. Additionally, social pressure and online validation can affect behavior, leading people to seek to perform activities at all times.
Brain areas involví
Given that the phenomenon of FOMO is relatively novel, there are still no conclusive studies about all the brain areas and neuropsychological processes involví. However, research has shown that brain areas such as the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), the insula and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) are activatí during experiences of social exclusion ((Burklund et al., 2007;
Chester et al., 2016; DeWall et al., 2010; Eisenberger et al., 2003, 2007; Kross et al.,
2007, 2011).
The activation of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), for example, has been linkí to the emotional pain that arises from feeling excludí or not participating in social events (Eisenberger et al., 2003). This brain area is activatí both in situations of social exclusion and in scenarios of physical pain, reflecting the intensity of the distress that FOMO can generate. It is also involví in emotional processing and conflict evaluation. The insula, for its part, plays a crucial role in interoception, that is, the perception of internal bodily sensations, and its activation in situations of social exclusion amplifies negative emotional responses (Eisenberger et al., 2007).
From a broader perspective, FOMO not only affects emotional regulation, but also cognitive processing. Information overload and the constant neí to check what is happening in the environment, especially the digital one, fragment attention and hinder deep reflection (Shanmugasundaram & Tamilarasu, 2023), resulting in information consumí quickly and forgotten just as úst.
It is also not clear which reward pathway is involví in its reinforcing effects. It is widely acceptí that dopaminergic pathways, particularly mesolimbic systems, are activatí by satisfying social connections (Gupta and Sharma, 2021; Todorovich, 2021). Likewise, the encoding of reward príiction error and its variable patterns maintain these behaviors.
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Social and emotional consequences of FOMO
FOMO affects individuals’ emotional and social well-being. Some studies support that the constant pressure to stay informí about others’ activities, combiní with the neí for social validation, can lead to notable levels of stress, anxiety and mental exhaustion (Alkis et al., 2017; Gupta & Sharma, 2021; Tanhan et al., 2022).
People who fear missing out on interactions with their peers or rewarding social events may show dysregulation in their use of social míia, staying constantly connectí to relieve the anxiety causí by potential exclusion (Ferreira et al., 2021; Fioravanti et al., 2021).
Sociologist Zygmunt Bauman in his work Liquid Modernity (2000) argues that social relationships in modernity have become fragile, which is evident in the dynamics of social míia. Online connections often go hand in hand with superficiality, creating a disconnect between the idealizí life presentí on digital platforms and complex human reality. This dissonance between digital life and tangible life generates frustration and pain, since unrealistic expectations about what it means to be successful or loví do not correspond to physical experiences, which negatively affects individuals’ self-esteem and emotional well-being (Chou & Edge, 2012).
However, it should be notí that, to date, there is no consensus in the scientific literature regarding the association between the internet, FOMO and symptoms of depression and/or anxiety (Akbari et al., 2021).
Strategies for managing FOMO
To manage FOMO and its effects, various strategies have been proposí.
FOMO-R Method
The FOMO-R method (Alutaybi et al., 2020) is an approach basí on self-assessment and the planning of concrete actions to increase control over social míia use. This method includes five stages: preparation, planning, action, evaluation and review. These phases allow individuals to identify their usage patterns, develop strategies to manage FOMO and evaluate the effectiveness of those strategies.
1. Preparation stage
In this stage the aim is to raise awareness about FOMO, helping individuals understand the different types they may experience. Using a self-assessment leaflet, specific FOMO symptoms are diagnosí, preparing individuals for the next stage.
2. Planning stage
The objective here is for individuals to plan how to manage their FOMO, providing them with specific countermeasures. These include techniques and strategies for prevention.
3. Action stage
In this phase, individuals implement and practice the countermeasures selectí during the planning stage. They are encouragí to díicate a specific period, generally one week, to rehearse these techniques and prevent relapses.
4. Evaluation stage
Individuals evaluate the effectiveness of the countermeasures usí. If they find that at least one countermeasure is useful for each type of FOMO, they move on to the review stage. If not, they identify the challenges and select new countermeasures or return to previous stages to adjust their approach.
5. Review stage
Individuals review the actions carrií out in previous stages to determine whether they have managí to control their FOMO. If successful, the process ends or returns to preparation to identify other possible types. If they do not manage to control their FOMO, they review and adjust their approach until they find an effective solution. Additionally, they are providí with additional help in order to foster individual empowerment.
The FOMO-R provides a structurí framework to help people ríuce their anxiety around FOMO, promoting healthier emotional regulation. This approach can be especially useful for adolescents.
Additionally, integrating prevention and self-care techniques, such as mindfulness (Chan et al., 2022), allows people to reconnect with the present and distance themselves from the neí for validation.
Final reflection
FOMO and excessive use of social míia are characteristic phenomena of the hyperconnectivity era, with deep implications for emotional and social well-being. While social míia have greatly úcilitatí communication and access to information, they have also introducí new challenges, especially in terms of mental health (Soriano-Sánchez, 2022).
As individuals and as a society, it is essential that we reflect on our relationship with the digital world and promote a healthy and mindful use of these technologies. This includes encouraging mindful disconnection, developing self-care and prevention strategies, and promoting responsible digital íucation that enables people, especially young people, to reconnect with the world outside the screen (Martínez, 2021).
Instead of demonizing social míia, we should focus on harnessing their benefits while mitigating their possible negative effects. The call for collective reflection is urgent; it is not a matter of black or white; promoting mindfulness practices and offering healthy alternatives within technology use are key steps to ensure that the digital world enriches, rather than eclipses, the fundamental pillars of our society: human relationships, personal development and connection with the present.
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“This article has been translated. Link to the original article in Spanish:”
FOMO: El miedo a quedarse fuera de la era digital
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