Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Word of the Day: FOMO (fear of missing out)

 
Word of the Day WhatIs.com
Daily updates on the latest technology terms | September 18, 2019
FOMO (fear of missing out)

The fear of missing out (FOMO) is an emotional response to the belief that other people are living better, more satisfying lives or that important opportunities are being missed.

FOMO is generated by the amygdala -- the part of the brain that detects whether or not something is a threat to survival. This part of the brain perceives the impression of being left out as a threat, creating stress and anxiety.

Smartphones and social media have escalated the occurrence of FOMO by creating situations in which users are constantly comparing their lives to the idealized experiences they see posted online. The glamorized versions of other people's lives in Instagram Stories or on Facebook walls can alter a user's sense of what is normal.

FOMO was first studied in 1996 by marketing strategist Dr. Dan Herman, but it has most likely been around for centuries. In 2004, Patrick McGinnis, a Harvard MBA student, popularized the term when he published an article in the Harvard Business School student newspaper, The Harbus, called, "Social Theory at HBS: McGinnis's Two FOs." FOMO was added to major dictionaries throughout the 2010s and was a leading candidate for the American Dialect Society's Word of the Year in 2011.

FOMO and marketing

FOMO marketing triggers the customer's fear of missing out in order to inspire them to take action. Popular FOMO marketing strategies include:

  • Showing other people, including celebrities, buying the target product.
  • Displaying a clock counting down until the promotion expires.
  • Creating competition by revealing how many other people are looking at the deal. Continue reading...

Quote of the Day

 
"Sociologists have coined the phrase FOMO to describe what many people feel when they are constantly bombarded by updates on social media platforms and run themselves ragged just trying to keep up with the proverbial Joneses." - Teren Bryson

Learning Center

 

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Quiz Yourself

 
The age of ubiquitous social connectivity ____ the question of whether we really need to be friends with everyone we know.
a. begs
b. raises

Answer

Stay in Touch

 
For feedback about any of our definitions or to suggest a new definition, please contact me at: mrouse@techtarget.com

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