Lalin Anik | Source | Assistant Professor of Business Administration at University of Virginia Dard...

FOMO in the pandemic stems from the difficulty of catching up with all of the things being offered online, far more than we can be a part of or watch all at once. Those who stay home and take the pandemic more seriously will face these issues more often. We can already see this tension beginning to seep in, and it will continue over the next few weeks.

As states are opening up, people are looking around and evaluating each other. They are seeking others who have similar sensitivities and comfort with risk. This social selectivity might not only help individuals soothe their loneliness and protect their health, it might also protect more risk-averse people from experiencing FOMO by watching others enjoy the sun. I can only speculate at this point, but I hope that we can shift our focus from ‘What have I missed out on?’ to ‘What have I experienced and found joy in?’ in these extraordinary circumstances.