After FOMO, or the fear of missing out, here comes ROMO—the relief of missing out, as people seek to avoid the news
You've probably already heard of FOMO, the fear of missing out. But another trend seems to be gaining ground among internet users, known as ROMO, or the relief of missing out, which often involves avoiding the news as much as possible.
The advent of social networks and the online world has given rise to a well-known phenomenon: FOMO, an acronym for the expression "fear of missing out." Particularly prevalent among young people, this phenomenon often evokes an overuse of the internet, always in the aim of not missing the slightest bit of information.But, against the backdrop of an increasingly anxiety-provoking political, health and economic context, more and more internet users are turning away from the news. On the contrary, they will voluntarily avoid the media, as well as any digital technology that could provide them with news. So much so that some people feel relieved to have missed one or more news "events." This has seen the concept of ROMO emerge on the internet, referring to the "relief of missing out", i.e., the relief of being oblivious to an event or news item.
According to the researchers, the choice to carefully avoid this type of news is mainly explained by the desire to escape from news deemed anxiety-provoking, but also because this content could lead to feelings of powerlessness. "Our interviewees see news as dominated by stories about crime, terrorism, and partisan bickering, which generates not only fear but also feelings of uncertainty and a lack of control or agency," explain the study authors.
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It even has an antonym. This is called JOMO for "joy of missing out," describing the pleasure associated with missing an event, often in favor of some downtime—or me time—like enjoying a quiet night cozying up on the sofa. Indeed, it's a life philosophy that many don't hesitate to embrace since Covid-19 came onto the scene.