My Google Reader, Google Alerts, and RSS Feeds are officially out of control. Each day I sign up for updates on a new site or blog. At some point I wonder if I'm going to hit information overload. Is it possible my brain will run out of space and all of these random, new, unnecessary pieces of information will push out the important facts. Will I forget my phone number, but be able to tell you about the latest gossip on Truemors? What if I cannot remember my 3rd grade teacher's name, but I can now tell you about the latest and greatest invention Billy Mays is selling. I don't care. I feel like I have to know every new piece of information I can get my hands on. It's an addiction.
Actually, this addiction is a disease. A friend of mine gave this disease a name several years ago. It's called F.O.M.O (Fear of Missing Out).
F.O.M.O can come in many different forms. For someone like myself with a clear Sensing preference (in MBTI-ology), the need to take in as much data/information as possible is critical. If I don't check out the latest posts on Brazen Careerist, I fear I will be out of the loop and miss my opportunity to comment on a great blog!
F.O.M.O is prevalent among extroverts. If an extrovert hears everyone is going to lunch, but they need to stay at the office and work through the break, he/she might have a F.O.M.O attack.
Those who have taken the FIRO-B and have a high need for inclusion are most susceptible to F.O.M.O. My friend who coined the term F.O.M.O has the most extreme case I've ever seen. She was the last person to leave her own wedding because her F.O.M.O flared up. Having mononucleosis didn't stop her from attending every happy hour (F.O.M.O's symptoms trump mono). When persuaded to leave an event for her health's sake she would refuse saying "But what if something fun happens after I leave? Then everyone will be talking about it tomorrow and I would have missed out." (Side story: One night I did decide to skip a happy hour and that happened to be the time my boss head-butted some guy who was rudely/obnoxiously hitting on one of my coworkers. I can't believe I missed out on that. The next day while everyone was telling the head-butting story, my head hurt from the F.O.M.O. Of course, my boss's head just hurt!!!)
What are the warning signs for F.O.M.O? When you're at a party and get 3+ text messages from a friend saying things like "how's the party, are you having fun? who's there? got any good stories?" Then you can simply reply: "Sorry about the F.O.M.O., buddy!"
So, do you have F.O.M.O? What makes your F.O.M.O appear?
Monday, July 14, 2008
F.O.M.O.: A new disease. Do you have F.O.M.O?
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4 comments:
My F.O.M.O. revolves around email and having to check it frequently so I'm always know what's going on.
I also have a friend who has F.O.M.O as well. She has to be available at all times so she has a phone in almost every room in her house and she won't take a relaxing bath because it may cause her to miss a call.
Thanks for the F.O.M.O. information. Now when I'm checking my email for the 30th time in the morning I'll know why I'm doing it!
Breanne,
You are so funny! I can *so* relate. My F.O.M.O revolves around anything that has to do with a good philosophical discussion. I get a serious FOMO attack when everyone retreats to the family room after dinner, and I'm stuck doing the dishes.
@Laurie and Linda- I love it! I'm so glad to hear FOMO is so widespread. I also have shopping FOMO. Even when I have no money to spend, I have to shop a big sale just so I don't miss out on something special! :)
As an INTJ and a senior IT executive, I've been cured of FOMO by seeing other companies spending millions on 'the next big thing' and getting nothing in return. Like when Larry Ellison said that the Network Computer would revolutionize corporate networks and drive down costs. It ended up being irrelevant, and costing Oracle millions (no official figures, but rumors of at least $650 million are rampant).
97% of all the 'new' "next big things" ephemeral at best. Many times they turn into black holes, sucking up time, money, energy and other resources and returning nothing. Many others turn into blind alleys, overtaken by other "next big things".
No one can succeed by being a continual first adopter. A friend of mine spent a year on the bleeding edge of computer technology. At the end of that year, looking at all the used equipment in his home and at the spreadsheet of what he had spent, his wife commented, "Honey, I think the Ferrari TestaRosa would have been a far better investment."
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