Instagram Jail + FOMO
Feeling blue about social media lately?
Yeah, me too... Especially during the first two weeks after my move. Two weeks without WIFI, and poor signal to begin with. I felt similarly then as I did when Ryeson was first born and I felt like I needed to keep hitting REFRESH on Facebook/Instagram to see what everyone else was up to.
As soon as I was able to get a better signal, I went overboard with liking and commenting on people’s content, and I was put in “Instagram jail.” That means that I couldn’t comment or like content from other people, or share on my own feed for an entire week. Stories, saves, and direct messages were still allowed though.
I could have focused more on stories, because it feels like that’s what Instagram wants us to focus on. (At least with all of their changes lately, it seems that they don’t want us to pay attention to the feed quite as much.) But I chose to take it slow.
Social media engagement
I never really went away. I still responded to and DMed with people. I just didn’t share anything, excepting a sponsored post of Rye being all adorable during back-to-school shopping.
I felt FOMO from not sharing for the first few days, but I’ll be honest – it kind of went away after that. FEAR OF MISSING OUT (FOMO) is nasty though. Especially on social networks, where some people project their most filtered selves on Instagram.
Tips for dealing wIth Social Media FOMO
If you are finding yourself blue from looking at other feeds and feel yourself constantly hitting refresh...for the love of &$%$#*, put down your phone!
Go do something that makes YOU feel good. If you are compelled to open your apps again and again, find a time of day that works for you to catch up with Facebook and Instagram.
Then stick to it. Set a timer so you don't go down a rabbit hole of scrolling through years of images on an Instagram feed of an influencer you follow.
Focus on leaving thoughtful comments on images posted by friends and people you admire.
Remind yourself that everyone is in a different place in their lives/careers. Just because you are not at Outside Lands or the newest wine tasting room opening, that doesn't mean that you’re missing out. Enjoy the small things in your own life.
Do you have any tips for getting over FOMO ?
