Merel’s Mind: FOMO in our digital era

Apr 3, 2015 | by Merel Corduwener | Art

About the author

Hello! My name is Merel. In a different life I would've loved to have my own radio show in the morning or play the drums every night. Instead I became an illustrator & designer. I love drawing, talking and going to museums. If you like my work: www.merelcorduwener.com.

Fortnightly drawings about the daily life in Amsterdam. People going to work, hipsters crying about what choices to make, men living their dream at the Red Light district or lost tourists in front of the Anne Frank House.

A couple of weeks ago I read about FOMO. Fear Of Missing Out, which is inevitable in our digital lives. In the summer of 2014 my life changed a bit. I bought my first smartphone and although you might think that’s a tiny change (I did) – it’s big. What a joy, finally I could join WhatsApp groups and connect with everyone at every moment. I installed some apps and made myself an Instagram account to shine. And so I found myself waiting for a few minutes – for the water to boil or my computer to start – scrolling down the news feed.

No more boring moments for me, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and had the time of my life.

But it has a downside: since I can only surf via WiFi, I’m always desperately looking for hotspots. And when I finally find a connection I see a bunch of happy pictures coming right at me. Friends or acquaintances partying or relaxing in Bali (is everybody in your feed on a bounty beach too?) Staring at the rain outside I could only feel worse. Using our phones we’re constantly confronting people with the greener grass on the other side of the phone. And even though mine is pretty green, there’s always somebody who just mowed their lawn.

I made a drawing about FOMO, a subject that tickles me. And when I’m drawing, I forget to watch my phone.