Fear of Missing Out (FoMO): A Current Review

Abstract

Recently, the fact that the majority of communication and interaction between people is carried out through the internet and mobile devices and the widespread use of social media has brought new disadvantages as well as certain advantages to people’s lives. In the literature, a type of anxiety called Fear of Missing Out (FoMO), referred as Gelişmeleri Kaçırma Korkusu (GKK) in Turkish, is an important concept underlying many of these disadvantages. In order to understand this type of anxiety well, to take preventive steps and to carry out correct intervention studies, its theoretical framework should be put forward well. In this context, the purpose of this study is to present a comprehensive theoretical study on the subject, to draw attention to the fact that FoMO has a significant negative effect especially in the education, social, economic and psychological lives of young people and young adults, and to form a basic perspective on the importance of knowing this concept, its causes, symptoms, negative effects and how to tackle it in dealing with this problem. In this study, which was presented by making a literature review, the results of national and international studies on the subject were compiled. Fear of Missing Out can be defined as the constant desire to follow the exciting and glorious lives of others through the internet and a state of constant anxiety about it. Understanding the reasons as well as the consequences of this fear is important at this point. As a result of the study, there are suggestions on what should be done for understanding the subject well and the steps to be taken.

Keywords

• fear of missing out
• fomo
• review