FOMO strikes again.
The "fear of missing out" may be a relatively new phenomenon, but it is very real and it is very prevalent.
It's newest form?
Venmo anxiety.
If you aren't familiar with Venmo, it's an app that allows you to instantly transfer money to one another, fully loaded with the ability to write messages and add emojis to communicate what the money is for. Although it isn't a social media platform, you can see what your friends and contacts are doing on the app, as well.
Say your friend's roommate paid the $80 electric bill. Well, you're likely to see your friend send them $40.
Now, obviously, you wouldn't be envious of seeing someone pay their bills.
But, what if you saw two of your best friends sending each other money on a Friday night with emojis of burgers and beers? All while you're sitting at home. Alone.
Caroline Keane told the New York Post that this is a very real thing.
“Seeing these transactions — even among people I have no desire to be hanging out with — creates a sense of emptiness and unease. It’s like, ‘S–t, everybody is doing something on Thursday night, and I’m sitting and reading my book. Am I a loser?’”
Still don't believe it?
Melanie Greenberg is a Bay Area clinical psychologist, and she told the New York Post that millennials are feeling it.
“I think it’s part of a larger phenomenon of pressure that’s on young people to fit in and to always be having a fun time. When you see that everyone . . . was at a party and you weren’t invited, you can feel left out.”
Millennials simply can't handle watching people do things or participate in things if they weren't also invited to do something.