Fear Of Missing Out

Do you make yourself available to your friends through your smartphone on a 24/7 basis? Do you regularly check your Twitter feed or Facebook timeline whilst out socialising with friends? Chances are that you're suffering from some degree of FOMO, or Fear Of Missing Out.

You're not alone. The pervasive reach of communications technology into our personal lives through smartphones and social media apps, has also provided a lucrative new channel for the marketing industry. "Rolling Stones tickets are released at 9am on Friday - don't miss out!" "You have until midnight on Tuesday to get 10% off any pair of jeans in our store!" "Your friend Brian Smith likes us!" "You downloaded this, so we think that you'll also like this!" Hold on a minute, I can't afford to see the Rolling Stones, I don't really need a new pair of jeans, my friend Brian has really bad taste and I only downloaded that track for a joke.

Do yourself a favour and step back from all the advertising noise feeding off your FOMO. A hotel chain that I've used regularly emailed me with a deadline this week to book one of their £25 a night rooms "before they were sold out". Dude, I'm the one who decides where and when I go somewhere! Pressing the delete button on this one offered a real degree of release.

However, I bow to the superior expertise of my father-in-law in this matter. Nuisance phone calls he handles with aplomb, "Yes, why don't you give me your personal number and I'll call you back whilst your having your dinner." Sitting with his children and grandchildren on the deck of our holiday beach house this summer looking out at the Atlantic Ocean, his line was, "I wonder what the poor people are doing today". The reality being that you'll always miss out unless you see the moment for what it is. So take a selfie of your 'boring' life, stick it on Facebook and then go to the pub ... and don't forget to leave your smartphone at home.