JOMO - my best friend

Some time ago, I was writing about my experience with one of the subscription beauty boxes: My Envy Box. There was a problem with my order and, long story short, after few months it turned out they can’t deliver this particular product. Of course, they offered some options of money return and free beauty box (which I haven’t received and, honestly, I’m not expecting to).  Good thing that came out of this whole experience, was one year subscription of Elle, which I apparently won.
In the last issue, I stumbled upon an article about FOMO and JOMO, which are all the range nowadays. Fear Of Missing Out is, in short, inability to turn down any invitation or event and the need of doing “awesome” things all the time, even if one doesn’t really feel like it. It’s really taking the best of people, and, combined with social media obsession, sends me on my usual rant.

For few years now, I’ve been truly appalled by social behavior I face in everyday life. It became impossible to spend an evening with friends, without them sharing, tweeting and instagraming the whole event. Posting takes over the conversations, no meal is worth eating without letting the world know what’s on the plate, no fun is fun enough, if random acquaintances can’t instantly like it. I can’t even count the times I saw jaws drop at my refusal to make phone part of my plate setting. Why would I want to stare at the screen during a social meeting? The answer that comes to mind is: because otherwise I would be the only one not doing that.

It seems like a faded memory, but it really wasn’t so long ago, when savoir-vivre explicitly forbade switching the phone on when in company. Sometimes it makes me wonder, what the hell is wrong with people, other times, what the hell is wrong with me? Am I crossing to the other side of obsolete manners and outdated behavior?
And then JOMO came charging! Finally we are way ahead of the curve, joyfully hiding in Goa for almost a year now, missing as much as possible. Joy Of Missing Out is, in other words, getting back to the basics: enjoying the moment, company, place or activity without the need to broadcast it and without checking what everyone else is up to at the time. It is such a refreshing idea! Not to mention a relief: there is nothing wrong with ME after all! I don’t know how fast it will catch on here in India, where model of your IPhone defines who you are, but I’m crossing my fingers!

In the spirit of JOMO, I stayed off social media, organizing outdated files on my laptop, when I came across my old designs. It is so much fun to see projects form few years back! Mostly it makes me laugh or blush, but sometimes I am surprised by my own ideas. Since dreaded Delhi trip is coming closer, I couldn’t help but notice this particular one…