https://www.wired.com/2017/08/fomo/

This article from WIRED magazine asks us to think about how FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)  of breaking news impacts on our lives.  

With recent tragic events, weather related disasters and "notable people" posting on social media, do you find yourself revisiting your social media and news platforms again and again for newer and more information?

We often talk with our clients about taking breaks from technology, and from social media especially for those who are prone to feelings of depression and anxiety after seeing others highly curated lives.   Being inundated 24/7 with details of difficult things that are happening can take their toll as well. The article cites that 43% of smart phones users check their phones within 5 minutes of waking up.  How does that impact their tone for the day?

This article explores some research that suggests that " research has shown that people who actively engage more with social media—by tweeting in response to news, commenting on stories, posting messages, joining online groups—tend to be slightly happier than those who do not"

The authors of the research suggest that social media users read a complete post and engage with it somehow by posting, retweeting or commenting on the post.  They see that this way it slows peoples scroll, and forces them to think critically about what they are seeing or reading.  From there, they can more specifically curate their feeds by only following those that inspire or have subject matter that matters to the viewer.  

This could be a harm reduction approach for those who have social media FOMO, or who tend to get stuck in a  loop of finding out more information about distressing news stories.  

Could this also be helpful to thsoe who follow their favourite gamers or games online?  

I can see how stopping to engage in a post would cetainly highlight whats really important or moving to someone, and, will it reduce or prevent those feelings from happening?

What do you think?