Davis Dna DesignsFOMO
My commute to work each morning consists of a 40 minute walk and when I leave my flat in Windsor, I follow almost the same routine.
I first turn on the radio or play music on my iPhone. I then go on Twitter to see what the people I follow have posted whilst I’ve been sleeping. Secondly, I head to Facebook to see what’s new and if anyone has commented on posts that I’ve put up on graphic design pages.
After that, I check Instagram to see what new photos have been uploaded by the people I follow. Finally, I check Google Reader in order to catch up with my RSS feeds and read up on the latest news from the graphic design community.
I do all of these things because I am obsessed. I do all of these things because I feel I need to know what everyone else is sharing and talking about. I do all of these things because I do have a fear of missing out.
A couple of weeks ago, I came across a post by Leo Babauta titled the 39th lesson. It has stuck with me since and so I wanted to share it with you.
Leo talks about how ‘our lives are often ruled by the Fear Of Missing Out, or FOMO’ – and lists 7 reasons why this is deemed to be true:
- We check email, Facebook, Twitter and other social networks often, in case we’re missing something important.
- We try and do the most exciting things, and are constantly in search of exciting things, because we’re worried we might miss out on the fun that others are having.
- We constantly read about what other people are doing, and try to emulate them, because it sounds like they’re doing something great that we’re not.
- We often want to travel the world, because it seems that other people are living amazing lives by traveling all the time.
- We miss what we don’t have, miss places and people who we aren’t with.
- We work constantly, because we think if we don’t, we might miss out on opportunities other people will get.
- We feel like our own lives are poor in comparison with the great lives others are leading, and so feel bad about ourselves.
Make no mistake, social media is the future of communication worldwide but I feel there is a fine line between social media enhancing our lives and taking over our lives.
Obsession is a part of our daily lives, but it is also important to remember what really matters.
- Check out the rest of the post over on Leo’s blog. - Leo’s 38 life lessons I’ve learned in 38 years is also a very good read. - For updates, follow Leo on Twitter. ___________________________________________________________________________ Follow Davis Dna Designs on Twitter or subscribe to new posts via RSS.
I find this interesting because after many years of internet usage I’ve come to realise that I am in fact missing absolutely nothing or important if I don’t check my email/Twitter/Instagram/RSS every 10 minutes. I don’t use Facebook anymore because I can’t stand the vapid, negative, superficial BS – it’s such a downer! I use Twitter to ‘network’ with other creatives, and find interesting stories and links, and see what’s current within the design industry.
I think it’s also important to note that bloggers who post about their great designs, great travels, great photos, etc., only show their readers positive aspects of their lives, which makes it seem that their lives are perfect, when that is not the case because they only share what they want to share. This is a good article about it: http://www.creaturecomfortsblog.com/home/2012/5/3/things-im-afraid-to-tell-you.html
Next time you walk to work, put your phone away and get inspired by the world around you! ;)
Mirella, thank you for your input. I think it’s about finding the right balance. It’s good to use social media to catch up but not to let it take away from being inspired.
More often then not, I find myself on my phone either on social media, blogs or writing idea’s for my next post but sometimes I do force myself to stop and take in the surroundings. It does put your mind in a different perspective. I need to heed your advice and do that more often though.
The post you shared was fantastic – a very inspirational article indeed. If everyone was as honest as Ez, the blogging world would be a different place, thanks for sharing.