New Delhi, Feb 4
If you cannot live without
the social media for even a minute, check out if you're suffering from
FOMO - Fear of Missing Out. Health experts say the constant urge to be
in touch with friends and happenings via smartphones has left many
youths suffering from this new breed of disorder.
"Absence of
social media can lead to FOMO. One tends to develop uneasiness if
staying away from social media is for too long," city-based clinical
psychologist Ripen Sippy told IANS.
According to Ashima
Srivastava, consultant, clinical psychologist at Max Superspeciality
Hospital, FOMO is a form of social anxiety. "It is more of a form of
social anxiety than a phobia. FOMO is a phenomenon where one feels
pressurised to share everything on social media to show how much fun one
is having," Srivastava told IANS.
According to psychologists, FOMO creates a strange fear of remaining isolated from the crowd.
"In
FOMO, one develops the fear of missing out updates and important
events; hence constantly remains preoccupied with checking mobile
phones. The first thing one does is to check one's mobile phone to see
if one has missed something significant," Sippy added.
The FOMO anxiety arises from being neglected and isolated on the social media platform.
Asked
what leads to FOMO anxiety, Sippy said: "The phobia of being
disapproved, being unpopular and living ordinary lives. Insecurities
arise in a person related to his own self-esteem if he/she is not liked
by others on the social media. A person who becomes insecure about
his/her image tries harder to be liked more and more on a social
platform".
Psychologists also pointed out that socialisation was a
factor for developing FOMO - though social media helps one remain in
touch with other people.
"But often socialisation brings in
comparisons which lead to despair. One starts comparing oneself with
others, both psychologically and socially, on where one stands in
society and where the others do. The fear of missing out from the rest
of the world starts arising," Mumbai-based clinical psychologist Deepak
Kashyap told IANS on the phone.
People start seeking love and
attention from the virtual world when they don't get these in real life.
"And the moment one stops getting the attention, FOMO phobia takes
over," Kashyap noted.
Not just FOMO but excessive use of social
media is affecting the social behaviour of an individual. Work
performances of adults, young adults and school children have also been
affected owing to excessive use of social media.
"One may grow
into an introvert and avoid socialising with others and may also develop
'social anhedonia', that is the inability to feel pleasure in normally
pleasurable activities," Srivastava added.
Sippy said: "A
tendency grows to remain in the virtual world. One finds it difficult to
face real life situations which often leads to imbalance in a
relationship. One does not know how to react in real life situations in a
quick span of time."
Psychologists also added that increased
preoccupation with the social media is also affecting personal
relationships with the family, friends and relatives.
"One starts ignoring family members and remains more busy in texting or socialising via apps on mobile," they pointed out.
The impact also differs with age. According to psychologists, teenagers tend to be easily affected and face more problems.
But, don't panic as FOMO phobia can be controlled.
"Prioritising
personal and social life is very much important. The best way to
overcome the social media phobias is learning to use it for a limited
time," Sippy suggested.
Spending three-four hours a day on social media is considered healthy but not more than that.
"Excessive use beyond a healthy limit should be avoided as it may lead to impairments in life," Sippy emphasised.
According to Kashyap, one should start changing the way social media is perceived.
"It
should be limited as a part of leisurely activity. One should remain
more involved in physical activities, read more physical books and avoid
e-books," Kashyap recommended.
(Somrita Ghosh can be contacted at [email protected])
