FOMO, defined as social media addiction that threatens Generation Z the most and has increased in recent years, seems to be a candidate to be the disease of the century. With the developing technology, people's social lives are also greatly affected by this and the definition of being social and communicating is now changing. Fomo means "Fear of Missing Out", that is, fear of not being online, fear of losing. The person is afraid of not being connected to the internet. If the Wi-Fi doesn't work where he goes or he can't access the internet, he becomes uneasy. When people cannot access the internet, they feel like a basic need is not being met. This situation creates fear. Fomo is a term used in popular psychology to describe this condition. The time spent with technological devices is often stolen from the time we spend with our family and loved ones. This situation disrupts people's daily activities and leads to the emergence of an increasing number of adults who are not interested in their spouses and children and cannot put their phones down. When we imagine the future of the generation raised by this generation as parents, it is not difficult to say that great problems await the society and that the problem is growing day by day. Fomo is a gift to us from globalization. Globalization not only brought political-sociological changes, but also a technological change. The spread of technology has brought the whole world closer together. While we used to establish social networks with the people around us and continue our lives, today we can make friends with people from all over the world through social networks. Emotional relationships and even marriages can take place today through social networks. According to a study, the rate of people who met and married online increased by 35% in 2010 and the following years. However, it has been observed that these marriages do not last long and 60% of those who met and married over the internet divorced within 2-5 years. The biggest reason why people who met and got married in the virtual world get divorced is that people present themselves differently than they actually are, and therefore marriages are built on a false foundation. When this situation is realized over time, divorces will inevitably occur. tastes.
Thanks to technology, nowadays we can access the information we want instantly. This situation started to turn the world into an electronic village and distances became closer. In fact, when considered, this situation, which brings information closer and brings great convenience, has shaken the values that make people human. One of these is social media addiction, the age of this addiction is decreasing. 3- and 4-year-old children have phones and tablets in their hands and they are numb and not playing games with each other. Play, which is the most important part of child development, has gradually been replaced by virtual games. Parents give this virtual drug to their children without hesitation to keep them quiet. These children turn into young people who make virtual friends in adolescence, and when they become adults, they become people who can no longer communicate with each other. This addiction has become such that family members in the same room spend hours with their smartphones in their hands without saying a word.
If the time spent on Social Media disrupts a person's daily life routine, and if he or she is now missing activities due to the time spent on social media, even though he/she used to do them in the past, FOMO has appeared at the door. If social media turns us into socially disabled people, this should be called a disorder.
A culture of gaining more space in the virtual world has emerged in society. Those who don't get retweeted things they write on Twitter or don't get enough likes on Facebook and Instagram feel bad. People who do not live in the moment with Snapchat but constantly record videos of it, express their feelings in this way, exist with the number of followers and feel loved, feel that their actions and words are approved, loved and even valued through social media. One of the important features seen in FOMO is constantly being interested in what other people are doing. This situation can cause people not to be happy with their own lives, to constantly want better, and to the emergence of situations that will cause conflicts within the family. While technology can make life easier if used for a purpose, if it is used too much, it disrupts the person's daily life activities, If technology becomes the only subject of one's life, if the person is not interested in his/her spouse and children, if he/she does not establish real friendships, then there is addiction.
What are the symptoms of social media addiction?
Using social media tools more and more,
Needing social media more and more each day,
Feeling uneasy when not using it,
Trying to solve personal problems that we are aware of through social media.
Using social media gives confidence to the person.
Social As a result of this situation, which occurs due to spending too much time in the media, after a while the person may begin to understand that things are going wrong, that something is abnormal, that he is wasting his time, but he cannot stop himself. This is where addiction begins to emerge. The person starts not to enjoy life. Situations that the brain perceives as rewards, such as the other person smiling at us or talking to friends, are no longer perceived as rewards. These people, who get away from real life and confine themselves to their phones and computers, only enjoy being in the virtual environment.
Parents who do not want their children to go out to stay safe do not know that a greater danger than the street is right next to them at home. Children acquire a fake identity and wander around the virtual world. As a result, lying begins to appear to the child as a natural phenomenon. Individuals who do not accept themselves as they are, present themselves the way they imagine, and become increasingly distant from themselves begin to emerge. Social networks offer people the option of becoming a "new me". Additionally, this new identity created can be changed at any time. If things go wrong, if you receive negative criticism or if you are not popular, you can immediately adopt another identity. This situation eliminates human qualities such as being responsible for our own words and behavior and trying to correct the mistakes we make when establishing relationships in normal life. Friendships and relationships are short-term, people who do not take responsibility, lie very easily, and false selves... This situation causes people to become more and more distant from themselves over time, not living life and not being truly happy.
If technology is necessary It makes our lives easier if we use it as a tool to achieve our goal. However, if we put technology as a goal at the center of our lives, rather than as a tool, we limit our lives and make ourselves socially dependent. An ideal user on social media is one who can maintain the boundaries between real life and the virtual world. If, instead of living the moment, you take a photo of that moment and become happy with the amount of likes you receive, this means that you are moving away from real life.
Putting down the phone, getting up from the computer; We can avoid FOMO by increasing activities such as face-to-face conversations with people, short walks, family meetings, and playing games with our children. It should not be forgotten that no virtual life can replace real life. In order to touch life and truly live, let's put down our phones and turn them off. Let's gift life with a real smile and love our true self. Let's not forget that the time that passes will never come back.
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