FOMO and the City

It wasn't until recently that I have ever heard of the term "FOMO." For others who haven't caught up to this latest cultural ailment, FOMO stands for "Fear of Missing Out" and is a result of our overly informed, constantly connected, socially obsessed culture these days. Checking Facebook is a great pastime but as images and statuses of other people out at parties, getting married or traveling the globe flash before our eyes, well, let's just say that sitting at home on your computer can start to nag at one's self esteem.

Now, I don't think I have ever really given this FOMO notion much thought but upon moving to New York there is a constant expectation of seizing the day. To live in New York is to run away with the circus and if you're sitting on the sidelines watching instead of out on the streets participating, it can start to feel a lot like FOMO. 

The other day my best friend told me that my Facebook profile seemed very cool. I thought this was such a funny comment because I had been wrestling with FOMO and was lamenting the fact that I had been choosing cozy nights over going out lately. I looked at my profile page later that day to see what she saw and realized my Facebook page showed only the best and most interesting of what I had been doing--there were pictures of media parties, Gatsby themed events, world travels and wedding planning--to anyone it would have looked like I was out every night stumbling home in stilettos with glitter in my hair. In truth, what was on my page was only a fraction of my life.

To wrap this up-

It is Saturday night in New York. I spent the whole day out and about and came home to that familiar sense of restlessness. I began to scan my contacts imagining all the fabulous plans my friends have tonight but then I stopped; we may only see the highlights of each other's lives in social media but that's not the big picture. It's okay to spend a night in, even in a city like New York, because when we worry so much about what we're missing out on, well, we are just missing out on enjoying our own time.