Commentary TV/Radio slots

BBC Radio 4 – Woman’s Hour …Social Media Mania

Tomorrow I will be on Woman’s Hour with Jenni Murray and we’ll be discussing the way social media and yes, how those ‘smart’ phones can take over our lives. It has given rise the concept of FOMO (noun) Fear of Missing Out.

Basically, we are so hooked into our social media networks (Facebook, twitter etc..) that we are in a heightened state of anxiety as we realise what we are missing out on as update upon update is fed into our timelines… phew.

Well, I have to confess I am a ‘FOMO type’. Actually, I should make that a ‘recovering FOMO’ as I am trying very hard these days to limit the time I spend engaged in social media… the thing is,I am not having much luck!

I start and end my day with my smart phone in my hand, checking the latest updates on twitter, news sites and of course, Facebook. I just LOVE to know what’s going on – be it breaking news, the latest development in an ongoing story, some telly gossip and of course, to see what all my twitter pals are up to. I’d like to put it down to my journalistic inquisitive nature and training but it is not… I am just plain nosy! So, pretty much all day long I have my Blackberry in hand and am constantly clicking to check in on the latest info.

This habit is officially the sign of classic FOMO-itis! And I have it bad. It’s estimated that about 40 per cent of us (adults) have it too. Here’s what a recent report from Ofcom had to say:

Over a quarter of adults and nearly half of all teens now own a smartphone

37 per cent of adults and 60 per cent of teens are ‘highly addicted’ to them

Smartphones are beginning to affect social behaviour

New Ofcom research reveals the extent to which the UK has become addicted to smartphones, with people confessing to using them everywhere from the dining table to the bathroom and bedroom.

Over a quarter of adults (27 per cent) and almost half of teenagers (47 per cent) now own a smartphone, according to Ofcom’s latest Communications Market Report. Most (59 per cent) have acquired their smartphone, which includes devices such as iPhones, Blackberrys and Android phones, over the past year.”

I will be on just after 10am tomorrow and discussing how FOMO and social media addiction impacts us and if it is actually a positive trend or not. The psychologist Emma Kenny will be part of the discussion – I will try very hard to switch my phone off before we go on air…

Are you a FOMO … check out this article in The Guardian – it explains the phenomenon here