Growing up in a digital world, young people face the pressure to be online all the time, reacting, sharing and comparing. Many of them feel anxious when they do not have access to the Internet. Zuzana Juráneková, expert advisor of the civic association IPčko, stated this for TASR, according to which social networks are designed to create a sense of urgency.
“Many of them talk about feeling bad when they don’t have access to the internet, when they feel like they missed something important, or when they compare themselves to others. This phenomenon also has its professional name – FOMO (Fear of Missing Out/fear of missing out, note TASR), i.e. fear of missing out on something,” explained Juráneková.
She explained that FOMO is the feeling of anxiety over the idea that others are having more interesting, happier, or more valuable experiences than we are. A person who experiences this feeling often has a need to be constantly “in the picture”, to check what is happening on social networks so that he does not miss anything. “This feeling is even stronger in the online world, because social network algorithms constantly offer us posts that show only the best moments in the lives of others,” she added.
As she reminded, young people with a higher feeling of FOMO are more likely to feel anxiety and tension, spend more time on social networks and sometimes make decisions based on what others are doing rather than their own needs. “This can lead to reduced psychological well-being, fatigue, overwhelm and a feeling that nothing they do is good enough.” said the expert.
According to her, from an evolutionary point of view, the desire to belong somewhere and to know what is happening in the group is natural for humans. “But today, technology has amplified this natural mechanism. We see hundreds of ‘best moments’ on social networks at once, which creates the feeling that everyone else is living a better and more interesting life than us,” she explained.
Juráneková reminded that social networks are not only a passive environment where FOMO manifests itself, but actively maintain it. “Notifications, new posts or likes are designed to create a sense of urgency and force us to look at what’s going on. Young people who grow up in a digital world therefore face pressure to always be online, react, share and compare,” she added.
At the same time, she emphasized that young people are in a period when it is extremely important for them to be accepted by their peers or to belong to a group. “How they are perceived by those around them has a big impact on their self-esteem and self-image. If others seem to be more successful or popular, they may feel inferior, anxious or insecure,” she added.
According to her, it is important to talk about these feelings – with peers, parents or a specialist. “To realize that what we see online is not the whole picture of reality, and that every person has more difficult moments that do not belong on social networks. Sometimes even a simple digital rest helps – a moment without the phone, offline meetings or activities that make sense beyond the screen,” advised Juráneková.
