Fear and Joy of Missing Out

The terms HOMO and JOMO usually appear in discussions of modern life, especially digital.  Homo is an abbreviated version of Hazard of Missing Out commonly known as  Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)

Fomo refers to the anxiety that "others are having rewarding experience without you." It is an exclusion fear.  Traditionally fuelled by public opinion social media accelerate it. The positive counterpoint of Fomo/Homo is JOMO: Joy of Missing Out.

JOMO refers to finding contentment in not participating in everything, and embracing solitude, rest or a simpler pace.  Instead of anxiety it brings satisfaction: I don't need to be everywhere. I enjoy where I am.

Example: Choosing to read a book at home instead of attending a party.

FOMO/HOMO is anxiety about exclusion 
JOMO is peace in selective exclusion.

The term FOMO was coined by Dr Dan Herman, a marketing strategist, in an article for The Journal of Brand Management.  He used it to describe 
consumer behaviour: He found that people don't want to miss opportunities others might enjoy.
The term became popular by around the year 2000. Patrick McGinnis brought it into mainstream in a 2004 op-ed in The Harbus ( Harvard Business school's student newspaper)
By 2010 it became a cultural buzzword through social media space.

Homo is a variation sometimes used in business and marketing contexts. It emphasizes risk or danger rather than fear. It is a merchant's concern and fomo is a consumer's concern. In the latter case it goes beyond consumer to everyone in the society. And here lies the evolution of marketing technique. It uses fomo to penetrate into the market. It culminates in members of the societies acquiring unwanted things, and dumping them in the garbage houses.

Origins of Jomo
Jomo emerged as an antidote to Fomo. Popularized around early decades of third millennium. It all started with the publication of the book (2015)The Joy of Missing Out: Finding Balance in a Wired World written by Christiana Cook, a Canadian writer.

The acronym Jomo directly addresses the negetive feeling associated with Fear of Missing Out (Fomo) which describes the anxiety of believing that others are having exciting experiences from which I am excluded.

As social media became more prevalent, the continuous exposure of others' lives led to pressure to stay connected. Jomo emerged as a push back against this pressure.  The concept of Jomo gained traction as people began to prioritise self-care, mental health, and a healthier work-life balance over constant participation in online and offline activities.

Fomo is anxiety about exclusion.
Jomo is peace in selective exclusion.

Jomo echoes older philosophies.  Stoics of ancient Greece warned against chasing after every pleasure or opportunity.  True freedom lies in being content with what is within your control and indifferent to what others are doing. (Marcus Aurelius)

Again, Detachment and contentment and renouncing worldly festivals propogated by Budha is Jomo.


Notes:-
1. Op-ed: Newspaper page opposite the editorial page, devoted to personal comments, features articles etc.

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