Follow - Up: Facebook Envy and FOMO

After reading about Facebook envy, I began to reflect on how I feel as I scroll through my newsfeed on social media. Once I started focusing more on it, I realized how real these feelings are. It’s easy to become jealous of the person who just posted a trendy picture on an outdoor adventure when you’re sitting in the library studying for an upcoming anatomy test. 

To see how much it can affect a person, I decided to stop using my social media apps so frequently for a week. To do this, instead of deleting the apps completely, I moved them to a page on my phone where they are out of sight. Over the course of the last week I noticed how much I didn’t think about the apps. School, work, and hanging out with friends in real life keep me very busy. I started to wonder how I had so much free time to spend exploring those apps in the first place. Then I realized that I didn’t, and cutting back on the time wasted online let me be a lot more productive.

After the week was done, I thought about how I felt for the last week about my social life. I learned there wasn’t a big difference, but I felt satisfied with the amount of time I spent with others and with what I was doing when I was with them. It is easy to get caught up in the “fear of missing out” attitude, or become envious of what we think other people’s lives might be like. But when we stop focusing so much on others, it’s easier to appreciate your own life. Just like the phrase says “the grass isn’t always greener on the other side”. We want to make sure we don't spend our lives scrolling through an online newsfeed living through other peoples posts and adventures, instead of getting off our phones and appreciating the things we do in our own lives. 

Facebook Envy and FOMO

            Students spend a lot of time on social media. Probably more than they do studying! Looking at Instagram and Snapchat, you tend to see pictures of people partying, socializing, and going on adventures, at least I know I do. It’s easy to fall into the mentality that you’re not having enough fun ‘experiencing college’ like everyone else, or living up to the ideas people gave you of what the experience would be like. This can cause a feeling called “Facebook envy”, as professor Elizabeth R. Ortiz, Assistant Professor from Communications at Cedar Crest College labels it in the article “Life Lessons: Facebook Envy” from 69News.

            “Facebook envy is this feeling that people get when they log on, they see other people's experiences, they see other people's lives and they feel like they want that,” explains Professor Ortiz. This can cause feelings of depression in students. Looking like they’re having a great time in these posts and pictures, and actually enjoying themselves, though, are two different things. Other people look like they are doing so much, posting great and trendy pictures. In reality though, it only takes a couple of pictures taken in a specific way, even just one moment, to make someone look like they are enjoying life more.

            Due to the increase in feelings such as Facebook envy, there’s now a thing called FOMO, “fear of missing out”. With FOMO, when someone is invited to do something, no matter how small the activity, they say yes because they are afraid another invitation won’t come along. Being socially active is good, but doing everything can wear a person out. Sometimes, you just need some time to relax and do nothing, or catch up on daily things.

            To avoid feeling isolated or like you’re having less fun than others, it’s important to remember that not all posts are truthful. Images and what you see on the outside is different from what someone might actually be experiencing. Looks can be deceiving.

"Life Lessons: Facebook Envy" - http://www.wfmz.com/lifestyle/Life-Lessons/life-lessons-facebook-envy/38612864

College Debt – Who Doesn’t Graduate with It?

It’s that time of year again; registration readiness posters are all over campus. We all know what registration means – that tuition bill will follow shortly after. Students talk all the time about the amounts they have to borrow in student loans to afford college. Unless you’re one of the few who graduates debt-free thanks to family or scholarships, it is a stressor that is constantly in the back of the mind of students.

When I log in to my federal student loan account, what is one of the first things I see? How much payments per month will be after graduation. Only two years into college, it is a reminder of the need to get a job that will pay well.

            According to an article in US News, “Student Loan Expectations: Myth vs. Reality”, student loan debt is making half of current students reconsider if they should finish their degree. Standard repayment plans expect the loans to be paid back in ten years, but former student say they expect it to take about twenty years to pay back. Most students are also disconnected from the reality of how long it will take and what repayment options are.

            Even though students get a lot of emails telling them information about their student loans, most probably ignore or delete them. Loans cause more stress and anxiety on top of normal college stress. Students should read the emails or ask finance offices questions to understand their loans more. Student finance offices usually offer a lot of information on the loans process. This is something that could help students understand what will actually happen after graduation for repayment, and maybe the amounts borrowed would be less, or it would affect their decision about where to attend. 

Working College Students

            While college classes may only take up twelve to eighteen hours per week, homework assignments, extra-curricular activities, and sleep (when there’s time for it) add to take up a majority of hours. This leaves little time for work. Even so, many students have to acquire part-time jobs. US News published an article entitled "Consider the Pros and Cons of Working in College" that speaks of valid reasons for both working and not. Although it can be a stressful, US News has found research that shows students who work ten to fifteen hours per week are more likely than others, including those who don’t work, to earn their degrees.

            Working and attending school may be difficult at times, but it has many benefits. It helps college students to learn professional skills that employers expect to be learned by the time they graduate and apply for jobs. Many jobs involve speaking to customers and developing customer service skills/communication skills. This is vital to almost all jobs after graduation. Having a job also helps people learn money management and time management.

            US News explains that a downside to having a job in college is also the risk of it interfering with school. That can lead to increasing the time it takes to get a degree or not completing it at all. Time management is thus very important. School’s normally provide planners at the beginning of the year that helps in keeping track of assignments, due dates, and when campus events are being held. Calendars on the smartphones seemingly work well too.

            Although full-time school, part-time work, and social/family life can seem like a lot to handle, it provides many benefits and allows independence rather fully than relying on one’s parents or family members. With strategic planning and everything in moderation it is possible.