Fiona Phillips – There’s nothing social about this FOMO epidemic

If I were asked “What’s your favourite country?” I reckon Australia would have to be among the top contenders.

The uniqueness of its wildlife, the unpretentiousness, the weather, the Victoria coast road, Melbourne, the wine, the miles travelled without seeing traffic jams or crowds of people… get me on a plane NOW.

Especially now, as it happens, because the Aussie Government has seen sense in the wake of the terrorist slaughter of 50 people in its close neighbour New Zealand, and announced tough new laws to target social media and tech companies that host violent material online.

We should do the same here. And take it further. Because it’s not just watching lunatics with guns online that causes life-changing mind damage, it’s the ubiquity of social media per se.

The ever-present, around-the-clock, mind-blowing, brain-numbing, anxiety-inducing addictive lot of it.

FOMO (fear of missing out) is actually a THING, FGS! With its own dictionary ­definition.

In the days before the explosion of too much information, we didn’t know we were missing out unless someone spitefully told us.

We didn’t know about other people’s ­glamorous holidays unless they sent a postcard.

We didn’t have constant envy-inducing, I’m-not-worthy-provoking posts from celebs with cosmetically created backsides to contend with. Nor ageless women devoid of lines at 60.

We didn’t feel the need to share our best bits with everyone.

That would have been frowned upon. It used to be called showing off, behaviour we were scolded for.

It wasn’t cool to be a show-off, it was vulgar. Modesty was king.

It’s why we all fell in love with Princess Diana, whose youngest son, Prince Harry, has expressed concerns over the compulsive nature and damaging consequences of our social media usage, claiming it’s “even more addictive than alcohol or drugs”. And, in many ways, as harmful.

He reckons there’s a “global epidemic around young people’s mental health”.

He’s right. The need to have to post every aspect of a life to as many people (mostly strangers) as possible to gain their approval or a “like”, a follow, or even a reply if you’re really special, is an empty road to madness. Literally.

The exponential climb of a variety of mental health disorders has been directly linked to the obsession of trying to be liked, or wanting to gain the approval of strangers.

And this is where Hollywood actress Michelle Williams comes in. A rare soul in that she doesn’t seek attention or publicity, she is also a social media avoider.

Like me, she doesn’t “do” Facebook, Instagram et al because she’s not sure how to use it in a positive way.

“I guess I don’t relate to it,” she says, “which probably makes me irrelevant.” But anxiety free.

Take it from Miche and me: ­Irrelevant is the new Influencer! It’s brilliant for peace of mind.

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