Fear of missing out, also known as social panic disorder, is a persistent anxiety about gains and losses, which leads people to think that their loved ones are always doing something meaningful while they are away, and this social anxiety manifests itself as a desire to stay connected to others from start to finish. It is also defined as a fear of regret, which makes people feel obsessed with missing out on social relationships and new experiences.
Thoreau famously wrote, "Most people live in silent despair." ”
Our world has always been very complex and difficult, but not so long ago, most people were lucky and didn't know what was going on outside of their neighborhood. In the past, the average person would get a small amount of information from three times: TV news, print, and word of mouth. Looking back now, it was really antique back then. Today, the Internet is constantly broadcasting live news and delivering content directly to the device in your hands. You can track down any news you're interested in, no matter how unpopular the story is, and no matter where you live, you'll get a detailed report. You'll also be able to get involved, leave responses, soothe your fellow netizens, and become part of the story in the process.
As a result, access to information has been democratized, starting from the grassroots level and moving upwards. The sheer volume of data is exhilarating, but it's also often exhausting and inescapable. But it can be addictive.
In this "always-on" society, we have become so dependent on the Internet for entertainment, productivity, opportunity, and information that it is almost impossible to imagine life without it. According to a recent survey conducted by Accion, the majority of Americans believe that they will not survive without their phones for more than a day. It's also the longest they think they'll survive without water or food.
Although we are overwhelmed by the vast amount of information, extreme interconnectedness and excessive dynamic sharing are also one of the reasons for the transformation of our lives. The allure of community** is hard to resist from the start, because everyone has the opportunity to be the protagonist of their digital life. Initially, the community could only update the latest news and occasionally "poke" others, but it quickly evolved into a public square where users shared**, videos, opinions, or anything else that could get people to like it. You can direct and act in a play and get feedback right away, how can you calm down and watch TV and books?
The survey found that 56% of people are concerned that if they leave their social media sites, they will miss out on activities, news or important updates.
This staggering statistic means that each person spends more than 2 hours a day hanging out to the community**. Most people spend less time eating, driving, or exercising; Only sleeping, working, or watching TV take up more time than surfing the Internet. It's really amazing. In less than 20 years, we have ceded a large part of our lives to something completely new, and we have lost a lot of time to live well and interact with the world and the people around us.
All the community data points you collect on you have a drawback: it's almost impossible to resist not looking at other people's lives and comparing your own accomplishments, whether you know that person or not. People have always liked to compare themselves to their friends or neighbors. This is because human beings are naturally competitive and prone to insecurity. Of course, you don't know if these cropped images and posts are realistic. Due to the asymmetry of information, you will never know what is behind the perfect filter.
In doing so, you're also starting a race that you're bound to lose. You will never win a battle that uses digital tricks and information asymmetry to win. No one can win. Even if you do "win", your victory is only superficial. When you start measuring your worth by the number of likes you get, you'll quickly get disappointed. There's a problem with seeking external recognition, and that feeling doesn't last long. The euphoria of acceptance fades quickly, making you want to hurry up and find the next wave of identity, just as an addict must keep looking for the next wave of pleasure.
Cultivating self-compassion may help reduce attention to the experiences of others, thereby alleviating an individual's fear of social loss. Seeing social or personal setbacks as opportunities for growth, and increasing acceptance and self-compassion for one's own experiences can reduce upward social comparisons, thereby freeing one from the cage of frequent use of social **.
In addition, increasing face-to-face interactions can help people who feel lonely easily alleviate the fear of missing out on social**. Limiting the amount of time you spend on social networking to about 30 minutes a day can significantly improve well-being and make people feel that social networking is less important, so that you can get rid of the fear of missing out on social interactions. Attending parties, watching movies with friends, and going on outings are all beneficial face-to-face interactions.
Communication technology brings great convenience to life, but it also distracts us. If you want to get rid of the phobia of social ** missing, try to live a good life in the real world.