It’s 11pm. I have spent the past 6 hours on the internet, acquiring information, reading blogs, essays, book reviews, watching videos, sending emails, checking Facebook, learning how to learn better, checking out Metafilter links, sharing life with the world, virtually. I have spent the entire day in front of a screen, in fact. I have no recollection of the world around me in the past two hours- but I can speak to you on a wide range of topics with fresh perspective, from feminist cultural criticism to my friends’ latest status updates to very interesting and current scientific research as wide-ranging as the application of photons in technology and the implications of dysfunctional endoplasmic reticulum (an organelle present in all eukaryotic cells for the non-science types) on the cell. I’m tired.

And yet, this is a good thing. My body is telling me it’s exhausted, my mind is struggling to remember what I have learned and my eyes are crying out for mercy, yet, thoughts keep on rushing in, inspiration keeps on looking for a spark and THIS IS A GOOD THING is the underlying message throughout it all.

I struggle to grasp this concept. Perhaps it’s because I am truly so exhausted and yet so unable to let myself relax that all I can do is ask “Why?”

Why is it like this?

Our experience with the world has dramatically changed with the introduction of the internet, and in particular with the boom and popularity of Web 2.0 social platforms. It seems as if we feel we will miss out on discussion if we so much as have the decency to sleep.

Recently, I read an article , ironically shared with me through Facebook, about the “FOMO” phenomenon-Fear of Missing Out. At first, I denied it-No, no, that’s not me, I certainly don’t worry about missing out on parties and city events, or any other humorously ridiculous situations the article’s author proposes- but eventually I realized I was afraid of missing out on OPPORTUNITY. Opportunity in education, the job market, personal enrichment, knowledge, social progress, etc, etc.

There is so much to worry about!!! There is so much to wonder about missing out on. The web is growing by exponentials, and thereby, information and knowledge is growing by exponentials. Youtube has more footage than news networks could ever hope to broadcast! Twitter updates happen faster than an earthquake’s seismic waves!.

How do we handle this much this fast? Shorter attention spans? Check. Multitasking that actually slows down progress? Check. Progressive loss of interaction with the real world?...Check.

There just comes a point where we have to back up and think critically about the lives we’re leading. The internet is wonderful. And the internet can be terrible.

I’m asking you, how do you handle the dynamic love-hate relationship with instant connection, instant information and instant gratification? How do you focus on the long-term? How do you disconnect yourself from the Fear of Missing Out?