Why do you check social media? Is it to keep up with everything that your friends and family are doing? Is it to find new trendy spots to eat? Regardless of the reason, you may find yourself with different degrees of envy or discomfort after a quick look at your phone. Then you might be suffering from a phenomenon known as “Fear of Missing Out (FOMO). ”
While the phenomenon of FOMO can be traced back for centuries, it had never been the issue as it is today, causing widespread discussion and research. This rise in checking social media is naturally connected to the increasing leading position that social media holds over our lives. Every time someone opens their WeChat Moments, Facebook, Twitter... etc. , they are bombarded with the highlight reels of other peoples' lives. A sunny beach, delicious-looking food, a super cute kitten-they are all uplifting photos, yet they're very likely to bring about more unhappiness than joy. You see, the first thought to come out of your mind may be “Wow, that's so cool/delicious/cute”, but then it takes a hard U-turn. You're thinking: “I wish I were there” or “my life is so boring compared to his/hers.” The more you see, the more likely you are to have these negative feelings.
What's worse is the habit many people have of turning to social media in search of happiness when they are feeling down, not realizing that they are just going to end up in a negative cycle of endless disappointment. Montesquieu once said: “If one only wished to be happy, this could be easily accomplished; but we wish to be happier than other people, and this is always difficult, for we believe others to be happier than they are.”
FOMO will go hand in hand with dissatisfaction and envy. Appreciate what you already have, because someone else out there in the world would gladly give everything to be you.
【小题1】What is the purpose of the questions in paragraph 1?| A．To introduce the topic of the passage. | B．To explain the function of FOMO. |
| C．To describe the features of FOMO. | D．To give the reasons for checking social media. |
| A．Joyful. | B．Admiring. | C．Comfortable. | D．Envious. |
| A．We could turn to social media for happiness. |
| B．We couldn't realise our dream without hard work. |
| C．We couldn't harvest happiness through comparison. |
| D．We could live better than others by showing ourselves online. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Objective. | C．Doubtful. | D．Hopeful. |
