Welcome to the acronyms of the information overload era – welcome to abbreviated life so we can catch up on everything!
Social media and constant connectivity have given birth to many new terms, words, trends, afflictions, and syndromes…
YOLO: You Only Live Once became a very popular trend on social media, and it was followed by FOMO: Fear of Missing Out (quite naturally, since you only live once you will be afraid of missing out!)
HOWEVER, I see a bit of a contradiction: If you want to follow the YOLO rules, you can’t be always thinking about what you are missing out on, especially since FOMO requires you to stay connected and in the know all the time – so no time to live?
ON THE OTHER HAND, if you are living in that virtual parallel universe most of the time, then you may have no problem!
I think FOMO will eventually develop into a real clinical phobia, unless people try to truly disconnect for extended periods of time (not an easy task, try being away from the net for 48 hours! Go ahead, I dare you.) I will be the first to admit that since a friend mentioned the term to me, I have begun to suspect that I may be a victim of this syndrome. I had to convince myself that if YOLO, you need to disconnect, to miss out on things, in order to fully enjoy others (the moment if you want to call it that).
It is obvious now that we are never fully mindful of our moments, instead we always wonder about what is happening elsewhere. This is because we have easy access to what is happening elsewhere, and really, that easy access can make us lose out on fully enjoying where we are and who we are with….
FOMO is a form of social anxiety — a compulsive concern that one might miss an opportunity for social interaction, a novel experience, profitable investment or other satisfying event. This is especially associated with modern technologies such as smart phones and social networks.
YOLO is an acronym for “you only live once”. Similar to carpe diem or memento mori, it implies that one should enjoy life, even if that entails taking risks.
don’t live in fear!
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