Fear of missing out (FOMO) is the feeling of apprehension that one is either not in the know about or missing out on information, events, experiences, or life decisions that could make one's life better. [2] FOMO is also associated with a fear of regret, [3] which may lead to concerns that one might miss an opportunity for social interaction, a novel experience, a memorable event, profitable investment, or the comfort of those you love and who love you back. [4] It is characterized by a desire to stay continually connected with what others are doing, [2] and can be described as the fear that deciding not to participate is the wrong choice. [3] [5] FOMO could result from not knowing about a conversation, [6] missing a TV show, not attending a wedding or party, [7] or hearing that others have discovered a new restaurant. [8] In recent years, FOMO has been attributed to a number of negative psychological and behavioral symptoms. [3] [9] [10]
FOMO has increased in recent times due to advancements in technology. [11] Social networking sites create many opportunities for FOMO. While it provides opportunities for social engagement, [2] it offers a view into an endless stream of activities in which a person is not involved. Psychological dependence on social media can lead to FOMO [12] or even pathological internet use. [13] FOMO is also present in video games, investing, and business marketing. [14] [15] [16] The increasing popularity of the phrase has led to related linguistic and cultural variants. [17] FOMO is associated with worsening depression and anxiety, and a lowered quality of life. [18]
FOMO can also affect businesses. Hype and trends can lead business leaders to invest based on perceptions of what others are doing, rather than their own business strategy. [19] This is also the idea of the bandwagon effect, where one individual may see another person or people do something and they begin to think it must be important because everyone is doing it. They might not even understand the meaning behind it, and they may not totally agree with it. Nevertheless, they are still going to participate because they don't want to be left out. [20]
The phenomenon was first identified in 1996 by marketing strategist Dr. Dan Herman, who conducted research and published the first academic paper on the topic in 2000 in The Journal of Brand Management. [22] Herman also believes the concept has evolved to become more wide spread through mobile phone usage, texting, and social media and has helped flesh out the concept of the fear of missing out to the masses. [11] Before the Internet, a related phenomenon, "keeping up with the Joneses", was widely experienced. FOMO generalized and intensified this experience because so much more of people's lives became publicly documented and easily accessed. Further, a common tendency is to post about positive experiences (such as a great restaurant) rather than negative ones (such as a bad first date). Studies have found that experiencing fear of missing out has been linked to anxiety or depression. [2] [23]
Author Patrick J. McGinnis coined the term FOMO [24] and popularized it in a 2004 op-ed in The Harbus, the magazine of Harvard Business School. The article was titled McGinnis' Two FOs: Social Theory at HBS, and also referred to another related condition, Fear of a Better Option (FOBO), and their role in the school's social life. [21] [11] [25] The origin of FOMO has also been traced to a 2004 Harbus article by academic Joseph Reagle. [26] Currently the term has been used as a hashtag on social media and has been mentioned in hundreds of news articles, from online sources like Salon.com to print papers like The New York Times . [11]
Fear of missing out has been associated with a deficit in psychological needs. [2] Self-determination theory contends that an individual's psychological satisfaction in their competence, autonomy, and relatedness consists of three basic psychological needs for human beings. [27] Test subjects with lower levels of basic psychological satisfaction reported a higher level of FOMO. FOMO has also been linked to negative psychological effects in overall mood and general life satisfaction. [3] A study performed on college campuses found that experiencing FOMO on a certain day led to a higher fatigue on that day specifically. [23] Experiencing FOMO continuously throughout the semester also can lead to higher stress levels among students. [23] An individual with an expectation to experience the fear of missing out can also develop a lower level of self-esteem. [10] A study by JWTIntelligence suggests that FOMO can influence the formation of long-term goals and self-perceptions. [28] In this study, around half of the respondents stated that they are overwhelmed by the amount of information needed to stay up-to-date, and that it is impossible to not miss out on something. The process of relative deprivation creates FOMO and dissatisfaction. It reduces psychological well-being. [2] [18] [29] FOMO led to negative social and emotional experiences, such as boredom and loneliness. [30] A 2013 study found that it negatively impacts mood and life satisfaction, [2] reduces self-esteem, and affects mindfulness. [31] Four in ten young people reported FOMO sometimes or often. [28] FOMO was found to be negatively correlated with age, and men were more likely than women to report it. [2] People who experience higher levels of FOMO tend to have a stronger desire for high social status, are more competitive with others of the same gender, and are more interested in short-term relationships. [32]
The fear of missing out stems from a feeling of missing social connections or information. [9] This absent feeling is then followed by a need or drive to interact socially to boost connections. [9] [10] The fear of missing out not only leads to negative psychological effects but also has been shown to increase negative behavioral patterns. [9] In aims of maintaining social connections, negative habits are formed or heightened. [23] A 2019 University of Glasgow study surveyed 467 adolescents, and found that the respondents felt societal pressure to always be available. [33] According to John M. Grohol, founder and Editor-in-Chief of Psych Central, FOMO may lead to a constant search for new connections with others, abandoning current connections to do so. [34] The fear of missing out derived from digital connection has been positively correlated with bad technology habits especially in youth. [35] These negative habits included increased screen time, checking social media during school, or texting while driving. [35] [2] Social media use in the presence of others can be referred to as phubbing, the habit of snubbing a physically present person in favour of a mobile phone. [35] Multiple studies have also identified a negative correlation between the hours of sleep and the scale at which individuals experience fear of missing out. [10] [23] A lack of sleep in college students experiencing FOMO can be attributed to the number of social interactions that occur late at night on campuses. [23] Another study has highlighted the impact of FOMO in college students making adverse decisions with alcohol such as underage drinking, and binge drinking. [36]
Fear of missing out has a positive correlation with higher levels of social media usage. [2] Social media connects individuals and showcases the lives of others at their peak. [2] This gives people the fear of missing out when they feel like others on social media are taking part in positive life experiences that they personally are not also experiencing. [2] This fear of missing out related to social media has symptoms including anxiety, loneliness, and a feeling of inadequacy compared to others. [37] Self-esteem plays a key role in the levels a person feels when experiencing the fear of missing out, as their self worth is influenced by people they observe on social media. [2] There are two types of anxiety; one related to genetics that is permanent, and one that is temporary.[ citation needed ] The temporary state of anxiety is the one that is more relevant to the fear of missing out, [38] and is directly related to the individual looking at social media sites for a short period of time.[ citation needed ] This anxiety is caused by a loss of feeling of belonging through the concept of social exclusion. [39] FOMO-sufferers may increasingly seek access to others' social lives, and consume an escalating amount of real-time information. [40] A survey in 2012 indicated that 83% of respondents said that there is information overload in regards that there is too much to watch and read.[ citation needed ] Constant information that is available to people through social media causes the fear of missing out as people feel worse about themselves for not staying up to date with relevant information. [2] Social media shows just exactly what people are missing out on in real time including events like parties, opportunities, and other events leading for people to fear missing out on other related future events.[ citation needed ] Another survey indicates that almost 40% of people from ages 12 through 67 indicate that social media has led to a higher feeling of the fear of missing out.[ citation needed ] Millennials are the most affected by the fear of missing out, the highest proportion compared to other generations and this is due to the prominence of social media for the generation.[ citation needed ] Social media platforms that are associated with FOMO include Snapchat, [41] Facebook, [42] and Instagram. [43]
People want to be a part of the in-group and feel like they belong, making them fear missing out on being part of the in-group. [14] People do not want to feel like they are missing out of being part of the belonging group with respect to video games, which causes a video game addiction. [14] When people align their social identities with the video game they are playing, they fear that not playing enough will outcast them from the group they are playing with, leading to the fear of missing out on being a dedicated member of the community. [14]
Within video games, FOMO is also used to describe the similar anxiety around missing the ability to obtain in-game items or complete activities that are only available for a limited time, such as those in battle passes. This is particularly common for multiplayer video games, where such items are cosmetic in nature but reflect a player's skill to other players in the game and can become a sign of social standing within the game's community; wherein failure to acquire a limited cosmetic item may lead to social outcasting. [44] [45] [46]
Fear of missing out has an influential role in the investment market for cryptocurrencies. [15] With the prominence of investors making large sums of money through cryptocurrencies, people may develop FOMO in anticipation of the next perceived get-rich-quick currency. [15] This phenomenon has caused the rise of "pump and dump" schemes, where investors exploit FOMO to raise the price of cryptocurrencies and sell them for a profit, while lower-tier traders are not able to see profits. [15] This has also led to the use of bots in cryptocurrency trades, as the high volatility of the cryptocurrency market can cause profits to vary rapidly even within the span of twenty seconds. [15] Pump and dumps are a legal grey area for cryptocurrencies so it is not illegal for influencers to use fear of missing out to manipulate individuals. [15]
The fear of missing out is also prominent in the regular stock market. Investors do not want to miss out on potential stock gains as the market is on a current upward trend as of February 2024. [47] There is a fear of missing out on making big gains through stocks driving the market since the market was at a low point before. [47] The fear of missing out with regards to investing is not applied evenly to different types of stocks and even within different brands of stocks in the same sector. [48] For example, there are differences between the fear of missing out on Burberry and Prada stock in which the Prada stock is seen as more valuable and people more likely fear to miss out on buying that particular stock. [48]
Advertising and marketing campaigns may also seek to intensify FOMO within various marketing strategies. Examples include AT&T's "Don't be left behind" campaign, Duracell's Powermat "Stay in charge" campaign and Heineken's "Sunrise" campaign. [49] AT&T's "Don't be left behind" campaign used the fear of missing out to make people want to join their network and receive messages and emails at fast 4G rates, to not miss updates from friends. [49] Duracell's Powermat "Stay in charge" campaign showcased four dead phones and advertised to the viewers that the owners of the phone were missing out on updates on the phones because they were not using Duracell's charging technology to power the phones. [49] Heineken's "Sunrise" campaign aimed to encourage responsible drinking by portraying excessive drinking as a way to miss the best parts of a party, rather than claiming that excessive drinking is a risk to personal health. Other brands attempt to counter FOMO, such as Nescafé's "Wake up to life" campaign. [49] Harnessing TV viewers' FOMO is also perceived to foster higher broadcast ratings. Real-time updates about status and major social events allow for a more engaging media consumption experience and faster dissemination of information. [49] Real-time tweets about the Super Bowl are considered to be correlated with higher TV ratings due to their appeal to FOMO and the prevalence of social media usage. [49]
FOMO, as a word and as a social phenomenon, has several cultural variants. [50] Before Americans defined FOMO, however, Singaporeans had already named their own version, "kiasu". [51] Taken from the Chinese dialect Hokkien, kiasu translates to a fear of losing out but also encompasses any sort of competitive, stingy or selfish behavior. [51]
The term FOMO has also inspired offshoots such as FOBO, FOMOMO, MOMO, FOJI, BROMO, NEMO, SLOMO and JOMO. [17]
Anxiety is an emotion which is characterised by an unpleasant state of inner turmoil and includes feelings of dread over anticipated events. Anxiety is different from fear in that fear is defined as the emotional response to a present threat, whereas anxiety is the anticipation of a future one. It is often accompanied by nervous behavior such as pacing back and forth, somatic complaints, and rumination.
Self-esteem is confidence in one's own worth, abilities, or morals. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs about oneself as well as emotional states, such as triumph, despair, pride, and shame. Smith and Mackie define it by saying "The self-concept is what we think about the self; self-esteem, is the positive or negative evaluations of the self, as in how we feel about it ."
Ergophobia is described as an extreme and debilitating fear associated with work, a fear of finding or losing employment, or fear of specific tasks in the workplace. The term ergophobia comes from the Greek "ergon" (work) and "phobos" (fear).
A cognitive distortion is a thought that causes a person to perceive reality inaccurately due to being exaggerated or irrational. Cognitive distortions are involved in the onset or perpetuation of psychopathological states, such as depression and anxiety.
Social comparison theory, initially proposed by social psychologist Leon Festinger in 1954, centers on the belief that individuals drive to gain accurate self-evaluations. The theory explains how individuals evaluate their opinions and abilities by comparing themselves to others to reduce uncertainty in these domains and learn how to define the self. Comparing oneself to others socially is a form of measurement and self-assessment to identify where an individual stands according to their own set of standards and emotions about themselves.
Cyberpsychology is a scientific inter-disciplinary domain that focuses on the psychological phenomena which emerge as a result of the human interaction with digital technology, particularly the Internet.
Social rejection occurs when an individual is deliberately excluded from a social relationship or social interaction. The topic includes interpersonal rejection, romantic rejection, and familial estrangement. A person can be rejected or shunned by individuals or an entire group of people. Furthermore, rejection can be either active by bullying, teasing, or ridiculing, or passive by ignoring a person, or giving the "silent treatment". The experience of being rejected is subjective for the recipient, and it can be perceived when it is not actually present. The word "ostracism" is also commonly used to denote a process of social exclusion.
Worrying is the mental distress or agitation resulting from anxiety, usually coming from a place of anticipatory fear (terror) or fear coming from a present threat (horror). With more understanding of the situation, worry becomes concern, the recognition of a future outcome that could be troubling, without necessarily having fear in that outcome.
Desensitization is a psychology term related to the treatment or process that diminishes emotional responsiveness to a negative or aversive stimulus after repeated exposure. This process typically occurs when an emotional response (feeling) is repeatedly triggered, but the action tendency associated with the emotion proves irrelevant or unnecessary.
Belongingness is the human emotional need to be an accepted member of a group. Whether it is family, friends, co-workers, a religion, or something else, some people tend to have an 'inherent' desire to belong and be an important part of something greater than themselves. This implies a relationship that is greater than simple acquaintance or familiarity.
Social anxiety is the anxiety and fear specifically linked to being in social settings. Some categories of disorders associated with social anxiety include anxiety disorders, mood disorders, autism spectrum disorders, eating disorders, and substance use disorders. Individuals with higher levels of social anxiety often avert their gazes, show fewer facial expressions, and show difficulty with initiating and maintaining a conversation. Social anxiety commonly manifests itself in the teenage years and can be persistent throughout life; however, people who experience problems in their daily functioning for an extended period of time can develop social anxiety disorder. Trait social anxiety, the stable tendency to experience this anxiety, can be distinguished from state anxiety, the momentary response to a particular social stimulus. Half of the individuals with any social fears meet the criteria for social anxiety disorder. Age, culture, and gender impact the severity of this disorder. The function of social anxiety is to increase arousal and attention to social interactions, inhibit unwanted social behavior, and motivate preparation for future social situations.
Nomophobia is a word for the fear of, or anxiety caused by, not having a working mobile phone. It has been considered a symptom or syndrome of problematic digital media use in mental health, the definitions of which are not standardized for technical and genetical reasons.
The self-discrepancy theory states that individuals compare their "actual" self to internalized standards or the "ideal/ought self". Inconsistencies between "actual", "ideal" and "ought" are associated with emotional discomforts. Self-discrepancy is the gap between two of these self-representations that leads to negative emotions.
Death anxiety is anxiety caused by thoughts of one's own death, and is also known as thanatophobia. This anxiety can significantly impact various aspects of a person's life. Death anxiety is different from necrophobia, which refers to an irrational or disproportionate fear of dead bodies or of anything associated with death. Death anxiety has been found to affect people of differing demographic groups as well, such as men versus women, young versus old, etc. Different cultures can manifest aspects of death anxiety in differing degrees.
Experts from many different fields have conducted research and held debates about how using social media affects mental health. Research suggests that mental health issues arising from social media use affect women more than men and vary according to the particular social media platform used, although it does affect every age and gender demographic in different ways. Psychological or behavioural dependence on social media platforms can result in significant negative functions in individuals' daily lives. Studies show there are several negative effects that social media can have on individuals' mental health and overall well-being. While researchers have attempted to examine why and how social media is problematic, they still struggle to develop evidence-based recommendations on how they would go about offering potential solutions to this issue. Because social media is constantly evolving, researchers also struggle with whether the disorder of problematic social media use would be considered a separate clinical entity or a manifestation of underlying psychiatric disorders. These disorders can be diagnosed when an individual engages in online content/conversations rather than pursuing other interests.
Phubbing refers to the act of ignoring one’s immediate social interactions in favor of engaging with a smartphone, making it a prevalent behavior in today's digital age. While it is frequently associated with the concept of fear of missing out (FOMO), the current body of research presents conflicting evidence regarding the strength and consistency of this relationship. In May 2012, as part of a linguistic experiment by Macquarie Dictionary, the advertising agency behind the campaign, McCann, had invited a number of lexicographers, authors, and poets to coin a neologism to describe the behavior. The word "phubbing," a portmanteau of phone and snubbing, was first described by McCann Group Account Director Adrian Mills, who was working with David Astle. The term has appeared in media around the world and was popularized by the Stop Phubbing campaign created by McCann.
Emotional abandonment is a subjective emotional state in which people feel undesired, left behind, insecure, or discarded. People experiencing emotional abandonment may feel at a loss. They may feel like they have been cut off from a crucial source of sustenance or feel withdrawn, either suddenly or through a process of erosion. Emotional abandonment can manifest through loss or separation from a loved one.
The effects of climate change on mental health and wellbeing are being documented as the consequences of climate change become more tangible and impactful. This is especially the case for vulnerable populations and those with pre-existing serious mental illness. There are three broad pathways by which these effects can take place: directly, indirectly or via awareness. The direct pathway includes stress-related conditions caused by exposure to extreme weather events. These include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Scientific studies have linked mental health to several climate-related exposures. These include heat, humidity, rainfall, drought, wildfires and floods. The indirect pathway can be disruption to economic and social activities. An example is when an area of farmland is less able to produce food. The third pathway can be of mere awareness of the climate change threat, even by individuals who are not otherwise affected by it. This especially manifests in the form of anxiety over the quality of life for future generations.
Vicarious embarrassment is the feeling of embarrassment from observing the embarrassing actions of another person. Unlike general embarrassment, vicarious embarrassment is not the feelings of embarrassment for yourself or for your own actions, but instead by feeling embarrassment for somebody else after witnessing that other person experience an embarrassing event. These emotions can be perceived as pro-social, and some say they can be seen as motives for following socially and culturally acceptable behavior.
Doomscrolling or doomsurfing is the act of spending an excessive amount of time reading large quantities of news, particularly negative news, on the web and social media. Doomscrolling can also be defined as the excessive consumption of short-form videos or social media content for an excessive period of time without stopping. The concept was coined around 2020, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)