FOMO became virtually a reality under lockdown
Mrinalini Bakshi
Anew word I began hearing in my friends circle soon after the Covid-19 pandemic started was FOMO. Barely had the first lockdown begun in March that the word started gaining currency. Being a Hindi teacher, I’d never encountered this concept in class. Gradually, I found it being used at home, too.
My husband was too busy in his profession as a banker till he retired a few years ago. Ever since his retirement, it was difficult for him to spend his time at home. There was no hurry to catch the bus to go to work in a nearby city. Not very fond of reading and writing, he would spend time watching cricket matches on television. Listening to old Hindi songs and watching Bollywood movies were his other hobbies. A walk of 45 minutes in the morning and evening were also on his agenda.
With the advent of the pandemic, his outdoor activities were restricted. Going for a walk even with the mask was out of question. There were too many messages from the hospital where he gets his annual health check-up done to avoid going out.
My husband had watched Bollywood hits such as Sholay, Deewar, Amar Akbar Anthony, and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge more than five times each in the initial days of the lockdown, while I was busy trying out new recipes. I would take photos of the delicious dal makhani, chicken preparations, cakes and pickles and share them with the children on our family Whatsapp group.
Our former landlord suggested to my husband to join social media so that he could spend his time and stay connected while staying at home. He helped my husband create a Facebook profile. Not content with being on one social media platform, hubby dear created an account on Twitter and Instagram, too.
Having mentioned every detail on his social media status, including his school nickname, my husband made quite a friends and followers on Twitter. He would love checking notifications and comments the moment his phone beeped. He relished sharing pictures of food items he liked.
In three months, his sleep pattern changed. Before the lockdown, he was accustomed to sleep at 10pm and get up at 6am. With the creation of the social media accounts, his life became more hectic and a bit troublesome for me. He also became irritable.
When I casually mentioned these developments to my cousin, a psychologist who stays in Mandi, she came up with similar complaints of people she was treating for anxiety. This is commonly FOMO, the fear of missing out, in which a person thinks that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere. Some persons who are addicted to social media get stressed on seeing posts from people who they have never met or never will in the near future.
FOMO is a real phenomenon from a virtual world that can cause significant stress in one’s life. Age is no criteria for this malady. Victims of FOMO think that their friends are leading a more interesting and rewarding life.
So before taking my husband to a psychologist, I deactivated his social media accounts with the hope that it will bring him back to reality, and his old routine.
WITH THE CREATION OF THE SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS, HIS LIFE BECAME MORE HECTIC AND HE WAS IRRITABLE