Recently I had the opportunity to meet up with some friends for some outdoor skating. I was very excited to go and spend time with them. They car-pooled together and met prior for brunch, and I was not invited to that part. I only found out when I arrived on time, and I got a message that they were late since they were paying for their brunch then would be on their way. This is not the first time I have felt over-looked, and it will not be the last.

Unfortunately, this is an experience we all know. Social media is both a blessing and a curse for us. While it does allow us to be easily connected with friends from all over the world, it has introduced FOMO (the fear of missing out) and jealousy. FOMO comes from anxiety when you are either left out or not invited to an event that other people you know are going to. Instagram is a prime example for this. Among so many other social medias, Instagram is full of picture-perfect events of everything amazing and normal life seems inadequate since a normal life won’t get likes. We only share the best of the best, not the real day to day stuff. Since it’s just the fun stuff, each of these moments we share and see on social media can have the effect of feeling left out.

Snapchat is interesting when you consider “snap-maps”, where you can share your location with your friends at all times. This is a great feature when you are meeting a new date, but not so much if you see many of your friends get together without you. There’s usually a good explanation like they are working on a school project or knew that you were busy, but we always want to feel included.

“ […] it’s important to let your friends know if you are feeling left out […]”

Whether we are overlooked, not invited, or unable to make it, the feeling of being left out is monumental. I wish there was a way to really get rid of FOMO, but unfortunately, we need to learn to accept our feelings and be honest since social media definitely won’t be going anywhere. In all reality, it’s important to let your friends know if you are feeling left out and would love to join in the next time to create healthy and honest relationships.

Main Photo Credit: Robin Worrall on Unsplash