JOMO

First we had FOMO — the fear of missing out, which kept us in a constant state of anxiety in case there was something big going on and we weren’t part of it.  Now there is JOMO — the joy of missing out. While it is defined generally as the peace that comes from ceasing to FOMO, it is largely connected to disengagement with social media.  You might assume that this is an attitude adopted by grumpy oldies who don’t want any digital devices in their lives.  They don’t want to be dictated to by a GPS device in their car and would prefer to stumble around finding their own way (and getting lost).  But no.  This is something that the younger generation is embracing.  They want the occasional break from social media and they relax into the idea that they might be missing out on an invitation, a bit of gossip, whatever.  A blessed peace descends as they no longer strive to keep up, or manage the constant interruptions to their thoughts.  There is joy in disconnecting from the online community and finding themselves in an untroubled state of mind. They no longer care if they are missing out on anything.