SACRAMENTO, CA - In a world of instant status updates, mobile check-ins and party pictures, social networking can sometimes lead to social anxiety.
"It's got to be hard when you see all your friends are going to Disneyland and you never get to go. So I guess I get a little jealous about that," said Lisa Hightower, a Facebook user.
Online social networking does not necessarily mean people are socializing more, but in many cases, it does mean you know more about who's socializing where, with who and how often.
Monica Williams, a student at Sacramento State, says the comments on her Facebook newsfeed leave her feeling out-of-the-loop sometimes.
"Sometimes I do feel left out, like they could have contacted me, let me know instead of posting it on Facebook," Williams said.
Feelings and fears of missing out or social exclusion are nothing new, but the world of social networking can put those insecurities on over-drive for some people, like Larissa Marquez. She's Sacramento college student who sometimes feels bombarded by instant notifications of exclusion.
"Oh, I'm going to lunch here, I'm hanging out with these people. It's like, yay, good for you. I'm sitting at home doing nothing," Marquez said.
Dan Roth, a social networker online and in reality, suggests people suffering from online networking anxiety ditch their laptops and living rooms and go outside.
"If you're feeling left out then you need to understand that the computer is not a person and you need to close the computer and get out into this great city of ours in Sacramento," Roth said.
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