FOMO

I got my hugs eventually :)

FOMO- No not the fomA from my favorite novel Cats Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, which is what I first thought when this concept was introduced to me. “FOMO” is the fear of missing out and its something all of my friends who have traveled, or have had prior obligations (or are alive) have experienced. It’s kind of a silly thing to feel like your missing out when you’re either doing something you love doing or just too busy, but we’re only human and we like to be included. As one of my friends says “I JUST WANT YOU TO RELATE TO ME” when someone is telling a story that she wasn’t involved in. We all want to feel connected. All the time.

It’s honestly a terrible thing to admit as I look back, but when I was in Italy over the summer all of my high school friends were at home and having a blast together.  Even though I was living under the Italian sun having an amazing time experiencing the culture and exploring the country a small part of me ached for home. If I was being realistic I would say that small part was actually about half. 

With social media becoming increasingly popular its easy to have a constant connection, the unfortunate thing is that I don’t think we were meant to be so connected. Not having a phone or texting app or Facebook access while I was on my trip could have made me a little homesick, but honestly it would have kept me more present and I surely wouldn’t have spent time ogling over my friends being all cute partying and loving on each other.

 Social Media has become somewhat of a necessary evil, I’m always losing my phone and trying to keep track of chargers, but for what? So I can stay in contact with friends so I don’t miss out on a party, or a dinner, or an adventure. I wonder why its necessary to be SO in contact ALL the time. Obviously people have done well without smart phones, ipads, tablets, and computers for an awfully long time, so why do we need them? Yes, there is, of course, an incredible benefit with the limitless knowledge that this technology can bring- but where do we stop? How much is too much? Is this advancement truly "progress"?

Even though I mentioned above that I still had contact with my friends in the states while I was in Italy, my social media use was significantly lowered. I usually checked it at night for maybe an hour after an exhausting day of exploration. I felt free knowing that I couldn’t send or receive messages from my friends whenever I wanted to, it showed me what was important, and I surely wouldn’t want to bother with my phone buzzing as I explored the coliseum or hiked into the mountains. The fact of the matter was that when I removed the temptation and it wasn’t even an option I didn’t think about it. The people I needed to be in contact with I was already with, and I knew the times of the places I had to be at. As much as I wish I could live that way every day it doesn’t seem like I can while I’m living here with so much access. This is why another reason I’m looking forward to Spain is the designated times for social media (in wifi zones usually at home) and for the complete immersion of culture (every time I’m not anywhere near my connections to the US).