HBO’S “Fake Famous” And A Real Drama: How Digital Influencers Deal With FOMO

A 21st-century disorder that impacts millions of people every day. FOMO can have real consequences, especially for the new generation of influencers.

In this article, we’re going to discuss the FOMO dilemma and its complications in modern society, specifically, in Social Media Influencers. To demonstrate, this report counts with an analysis of HBO Max’s documentary “Fake Famous” and the contribution of three amazing Influencers on how to deal with it.

What Is FOMO?

FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)  is a social anxiety that comes from the fear of people having fun without you. According to a survey made by MyLife.com, 56% of social media users suffer from FOMO. That is, with the new technologies, this phenomenon is becoming increasingly more common, especially among the younger ones.  In a society where everything is shared on social media, we may develop the habit of comparing ourselves and our experiences with others, so when you see your friends having a good time without you (even if you choose to stay off of it), you will likely feel loneliness or even envy.

Even though it seems insignificant, FOMO can have terrible consequences, as struggling with low self-esteem, loss of identity, picks of anxiety, and even use and abuse of drugs (something teens often do to “keep up” with their friends). Mostly, people who suffer from FOMO waste their lives by only focusing on social media and what other people are doing, without realizing that their own is passing.

How FOMO Can Impact Influencers?

FOMO can be really difficult for a normal social media user, but for influencers, the problem can be even bigger.

An influencer is someone who uses their authority, knowledge, or position in certain topics to inspire and influence people by creating digital content on their preferred social media channels. They can influence someone’s fashion style, political opinion, eating habits, even in purchase decisions.

However, having so much power over someone’s life comes with a price. Followers need constant updates and demand new content daily. This requirement can leave some influencers anxious and scared of missing any new trend or to take a time off for themselves. It can go as the father neglects important things in life — school, family, friends — to create more digital content.

In the documentary “Fake famous”, available at HBO Max, a social experiment regarding influencers fame is put into practice: three, almost, anonymous people are transformed into “famous influencers” by utilizing every possible tool, even going as far as buying followers, only to analyze the repercussions of being digital exposed. Nick Bilton, the creator of this project, affirms that in the documentary we can see the pressure that social media can create not only for the creators but also for the public.

In a certain clip, Wylie, one of the chosen people, discusses his anxiety regarding his followers count, and how much that scared him. That is, the feeling of wanting fame and suddenly getting it, when you are not prepared for it can be paralyzing. For, if you fall there are thousands of eyes on you.

How do Influencers deal with FOMO?

For such a sensible and difficult topic, we got into contact we three amazing digital Influencers to know more about their opinion and experience through three questions regarding FOMO.  Have you had to deal with FOMO? Do you think being an influencer impacted it? How did you deal with it?

Not surprisingly, all three of them answered that they had to deal with Fear of Missing Out. Let’s get more into it.

Harry Ciotto

Harry built his fame on the Fashion community by making small videos commenting about trends, unique brands, and Fashion Shows. With charisma and dedication, Harry has conquered over 140k on TikTok and 24k on Instagram.

When asked about his experience with FOMO, Ciotto responded that due to his focus on studies, he spent a lot of time away from the phone. That results in a feeling of missing something out. Something he hadn’t felt until becoming an influencer. Nowadays, he can control this behavior by understanding that he doesn’t need to post everything immediately, or to be the first one to produce and consume content.

Luisa Forestti

A Fashion and Lifestyle Tiktok star, Luisa has more than 150k followers. On Instagram, her style and charm have gained over 20k.

In her opinion, all people that work with social media have to deal with FOMO, especially Influencers. In her experience, the best way to deal with it was to stop spending so much time online and exposing only the necessary. Furthermore, in her words “I think the less you expose yourself and the more private your life is, the more healthy your working environment will be.“

Carol Ferreira

With a great sense of fashion and a fierce personality, Caca achieved 70k followers on Tiktok and more than 14k on Instagram.

In her experience, leading with Fear of Missing out was pretty difficult, because no one around her understood the struggle. She managed this problem by talking with her psychologist. Moreover, in the aspect, of being an influencer impacted with it, she thinks that it does affect. “It’s a wave of uncertainties that impact a lot on it.“

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The article above was edited by ​Lívia Carvalho.

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• famous
• fomo
• Influencers
• internet
• mental health