Fear of missing out (FOMO)
By: Madu Samuel
Tags: Fomo, Consumer Behavior, Black Friday, Consumerism, Marketing

Fear of missing out (FOMO)

In our life, many things are working behind closed doors to make us feel like we are missing out on something, it is the fear of missing out.

The big corporation and our media spend a huge amount on this and they push this scheme every day in our face just to make us feel uncomfortable with whom we are, feeling like we need something, developing the fear of missing out on us

We wake up in the morning and turn on our TV set and this is the first thing we get to experience, some ad on the TV promising a product that makes us look like Angelina Jolie of the tomb raider era.

Different promises that are not really promising but things created to make us feel like we are missing out on something

Whether we like it or not we are victims of this scheme. We might want to say we don’t get influenced by Ads but most of this scheme doesn’t come from ad alone, they come from your immediate environment, they come from social media and they come from what your inner circle is saying and doing

We are so much a victim that our purchases are a result of this scheme. Many of us go further to getting depressed over this and feel like we lack something in our life that we need to get in order to keep on living

So many people have lost more to the fear of missing out, so many people have their spending habits messed up. We, humans, are social animals and we want to do exactly what everyone around us is doing so we don’t look like the weird one, this is what drives the fear of missing out.

I use to have an Uncle that was a victim of the fear of missing out. This habit of his ended up ruining him and his family because they were both in on this.

Even though he lives on a minimal wage, he still drove the latest car and wore the latest trend that other men in the neighborhood were wearing

He got his kids the latest sneakers and the wife’s spending habit on the latest fashion wear drove more debt into the family income. They kept keeping up with the joneses till they lost everything in life and haven’t gotten back on their feet ever since.

How to protect yourself from fear of missing out

How do we prevent the fear of missing out in our life might be the thing going on in your mind now. First of you want to be conscious of this and its scheme around you. It surrounds you and the corporation is working hard to make you a victim of this scheme.

When you see it around you, you want to identify them and ask yourself if you really need this in your life, like right now.

Knowing how to prioritize your life is one thing that can help you from falling into this trap. It helps you know what is important right now in your life and how much you have budgeted for your spending.

Peer pressure is real and people around you will want to pressure you into joining the wagon and be a victim like them. You have got to know how to set boundaries with these people and if they keep disrespecting those boundaries you want to cut them off for your peace of mind.

This is where I end today’s article, I hope you had fun reading it and ready to implement this into your life. Remember this is an open discussion and your comment is expected