Forget FOMO, in 2016 we're all going to get FOLO.

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Forget the Fear of Missing Out, according to agency Sparks & Honey’s cultural trend predictions, this year we’ll all be getting FOLO.

That’s a Fear of Living Offline, for the uninitiated.

With our social media feeds constantly filled with art-directed lunch snaps and holidays lifted straight from the pages of a glossy magazine, life offline can seem a little, well, dull.

It’s this disillusionment that fuels FOLO, and can legitimately lead feelings of depression.

(Watch: Essena O’Neill explains why she quit social media. Post continues after video.)

Is it happening already?

While it may sound extreme, psychologists are already seeing the effects of more time spent online, and not just among young adults.

“We all care about being liked and accepted by others. Our brains have been programmed by evolution to fear social rejection and seek approval from others. Social media amplifies perceptions of social success and failure,” says Sydney psychologist Anthony Berrick.

“How many Facebook friends you have, how many ‘likes’ your selfies get on Instagram, comments made about you on Twitter – these things can all contribute to an individual’s sense of worth and hurt deeply when they go wrong.”

How do you know if you have it?

We often joke about “If it’s not on Facebook, did it really happen?” but that’s the attitude many people take.

And if you’re the kind of person who deletes photos from Instagram for having less than eleven likes, then we’ve got bad news for you.

Constantly comparing our lives to these carefully curated images of endless happiness, perfectly behaved children or exotic holidays creates a false impression of reality which can often lead to disappointment and the desire to try to compete. (Post continues after gallery.)

“That’s the ‘happiness trap’ – short-term attempts to feel good tend to make us miserable in the long run, because they often take us away from the things we truly care about and cause us to struggle with our own emotions,” says Berrick.

The result could cause an increase in feelings of anxiety – and is nothing to trivialise.

“If someone experiences FOLO they are more likely to be vulnerable and experience anxiety when they are not connected, so when they notice changes in their mood and drop in overall life satisfaction they would certainly benefit from seeking help,” says Blue Horizon Counselling‘s Dr Yuliya Richard.

What can you do about it?

One solution is to consider a digital detox, a movement Sparks and Honey believe will be huge in 2016.

“It’s a great way to improve your self-awareness. Noticing how easy or hard it is for you to stay offline for a period of time, and the consequences of doing so, to see if you would benefit from making some longer-term changes to your online behaviour,” says Berrick.

It will also give you the opportunity to nurture real life interactions with people around you.

"Some people might develop a psychological dependency when overusing social media and not having access to it might increase their anxiety. I think it is important to have a balanced use of social media, to understand when it becomes a problem in your life and take steps to manage it better," says Dr Richard.

Ultimately, it's not the medium we have to blame but rather the way we use it.

"Social media isn't inherently good or bad, but like anything, we need to be very careful that we use it in a way which adds value and meaning to our lives, instead of diminishing those things," says Berrick.

"If you're concerned that you're spending too much time online or placing too much value on social media 'likes' and comments, and feel unable to effectively address the issue on your own, then there's nothing wrong with asking for help."

Do you experience FOLO?