FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out. A “debilitating psychological condition . . . most commonly characterised by a subject’s obsessive, distressing, intrusive thoughts about whether somebody, somewhere else, might be having a better time than they are.” (Definition by way of the I Suffer from F.O.M.O. Facebook group, which has 494 members.)
Caterina Fake, co-founder of Flickr and Hunch, wrote about FOMO on her blog last week, while South by Southwest Interactive (SXSW) was taking place in Austin:
FOMO is a great motivator of human behavior, and I think a crucial key to understanding social software, and why it works the way it does. Many people have studied the game mechanics that keep people collecting things (points, trophies, check-ins, mayorships, kudos). Others have studied how the neurochemistry that keeps us checking Facebook every five minutes is similar to the neurochemistry fueling addiction. Social media has made us even more aware of the things we are missing out on. You’re home alone, but watching your friends [sic] status updates tell of a great party happening somewhere. You are aware of more parties than ever before. And, like gym memberships, adding Bergman movies to your Netflix queue and piling up unread copies of the New Yorker, watching these feeds gives you a sense that you’re participating, not missing out, even when you are.
FOMO first appeared in Urban Dictionary on October 2, 2006. An April 9, 2007, article in BusinessWeek, “Today’s Students: Living Large,” introduced the acronym to a different audience:
An epidemic has hit America’s top MBA programs. At Harvard Business School, it’s called FOMO: fear of missing out. Symptoms include a chronic inability to turn down invitations to any party, dinner, or junket attended by anyone who might be a valuable addition to one’s network—no matter the cost.
With their incomes about to get a big boost at graduation, many students are spending far more than absolutely necessary, in part on luxuries like leisure travel and in part on networking events. Nobody wants to quibble over the costs when they're partying with folks who may advance their career.
The article was published before the current recession; students—and the rest of us—may not be living quite as large these days, but FOMO can still be a powerful motivator (or affliction).
An Australian travel company, STA Travel, uses FOMO in a tongue-in-cheek sales pitch and contest:
Tell us the last time you had travel FOMO for your chance to WIN the trip you missed!
FoMo may also stand for Former Mormon. Fomo is the name of a company that sells products made from low-pressure polyurethane foam.
Note: FOMO should not be confused with MoFo, which is the abbreviation and Web address of a large law firm. And also something else.
Wait, wait, I just want to ponder the name: Caterina Fake. Mmmm.
Posted by: Namer X | March 21, 2011 at 01:58 PM
Not only is her real name Fake, but the firm (of which she was part-owner) that created Flickr had the dandy name Ludicorp.
Posted by: CGHill | March 21, 2011 at 05:25 PM
Little known fact: Patron saint of the FoMo's (Former Mormons) is St. Chad. As in the hanging type. I learned this from an Episcopal priest who grew up in Salt Lake City.
Posted by: Nancy Davis Kho | March 22, 2011 at 09:21 AM
I guess FOMO sufferers would be greatly relieved to embrace reincarnation.
Posted by: Duchesse | March 22, 2011 at 11:25 AM
There's also 'FoMoCo', stamped on to every component of every car made by the Ford Motor Company since time began.
Posted by: John Russell | March 23, 2011 at 02:37 AM
I suffer from FOGII, pronounced "foggie." It stands for Fear of Getting Inadvertently Involved. Sort of the opposite of FOMO.
Posted by: Jon Carroll | March 23, 2011 at 11:43 AM