But, against the backdrop of an increasingly anxiety-provoking political, health and economic context, more and more internet users are turning away from the news. On the contrary, they will voluntarily avoid the media, as well as any digital technology that could provide them with news… so much so that some people feel relieved to have missed one or more news “events”.
This has seen the concept of “ROMO” emerge on the internet, referring to the “relief of missing out” – that is, of being oblivious to an event or news item.
British and American researchers specialising in media analysis have attempted to understand this phenomenon in more detail by conducting a survey, the results of which were recently published in the journal “Political Communication”.
The study was conducted in the United Kingdom and involved in-depth interviews with 43 people who voluntarily chose to cut themselves off from news sources and who now rarely consult the news (“less than once a month” or “never”).
According to the study, these individuals represent about 7% of the British population.
The researchers say the choice to carefully avoid this type of news is mainly explained by the desire to escape from news deemed anxiety-provoking, but also because this content could lead to feelings of powerlessness.
“Our interviewees see news as dominated by stories about crime, terrorism, and partisan bickering, which generates not only fear but also feelings of uncertainty and a lack of control or agency,” explain the authors.
A type of JOMO?
ROMO stands opposed to FOMO, except that this phenomenon specifically affects the world of news and less so the world of social media trends.
The term FOMO was first used by Patrick McGinnis in 2004, then a student at Harvard Business School. It also refers to the fear of missing a much-hyped event – such as a party that everyone’s going to – and is, therefore, applicable outside the digital realm.
FOMO even has an antonym: JOMO, or “joy of missing out”. It describes the pleasure associated with missing an event, often in favour of some downtime – or “me time” – like enjoying a quiet night cozying up on the sofa.
Indeed, ROMO could be seen as a companion to JOMO, the latter a life philosophy that many have been embracing since Covid-19 came onto the scene.