Move Over, FOMO: JOMO Is Here and We’ve Never Been Happier

Remember when, pre-Covid, we were all addicted to social media? And remember how awful it made us feel to see all of our friends, family, and co-workers seemingly living it up while we were sitting like sad sacks of potatoes on the couch in our pajamas, eating cereal straight out of the box?

That scenario used to garner pity. It even earned a name: the Fear of Missing Out. FOMO made us all frantic; we felt like if we weren’t in the party’s Instagram pics, we were doing something wrong. We were defective, pathetic.

Well, FOMO is so 2019. The new acronym to embrace is JOMO: Joy of Missing Out.

The term was coined by Anil Dash, a blogger and tech CEO. After becoming a dad, Dash realized that the internet wasn’t all that; real life was where it’s at.

“I’d been mostly offline for more than a month, and during that time had barely checked in on anything online, and seldom even left the house. It was wonderful,” Dash wrote in a post on the subject. “So the FOMO lament didn’t particularly resonate with me; I wasn’t missing anything. I hadn’t realized that I was not only not in fear, but actually in a state of joy.”

That feeling will resonate with many. In fact, way ahead of his time, John Mulaney joked about it in his comedy special New in Town.

“In terms of, like, instant relief, canceling plans is like heroin,” the comedian stated. “It’s an amazing feeling. Such instant joy.”

For introverts, this phenomenon has been a long time coming.

As an introvert, I’ve been waiting for JOMO to become a thing. pic.twitter.com/LI5SyilYFN

— Justan Jesse (@justan_jesse) March 7, 2022

To be clear, JOMO doesn’t mean being antisocial. Instead, it’s about being more selective in what social activities you partake in, choosing only to say yes to those that truly bring you joy.

JOMO is having a moment, now that the pandemic taught us that we don’t need to run around like crazy squirrels in search of the next best thing. Often, staying home and unplugging is the best way to take care of yourself – and is much more enjoyable than socializing.

So the next time you’re faced with an invitation you really don’t want to accept, but feel pressured to, remember JOMO – and just say no!

Cover Photo: Tetra Images (Getty Images)

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