Fear of Missing Out (Again)
On May 20th, John McClane and Rambo were unceremoniously crowbarred into Call of Duty: Warzone as cosmetic skins available from the in-game store. If you felt that your life would be spiritually enriched by such a purchase then it cost about £34 for both, resulting in the community accusing Activision (and not Hans Gruber) of being an exceptional thief. Two weeks later the offer ended and the skins were withdrawn. Those who had missed the proverbial boat were left to cry into their beer and shake their fists at the capricious nature of the gods. Because “fear of missing out” is very real and all leisure industries know this and are happy to capitalise upon it. Never mind children and those adults who have learned to control their sense of compulsion. Capitalism’s reply is simply “am I my brother’s keeper”? Because loot boxes, limited time events and cosmetic products are just surprise mechanics”.
On May 20th, John McClane and Rambo were unceremoniously crowbarred into Call of Duty: Warzone as cosmetic skins available from the in-game store. If you felt that your life would be spiritually enriched by such a purchase then it cost about £34 for both, resulting in the community accusing Activision (and not Hans Gruber) of being an exceptional thief. Two weeks later the offer ended and the skins were withdrawn. Those who had missed the proverbial boat were left to cry into their beer and shake their fists at the capricious nature of the gods. Because “fear of missing out” is very real and all leisure industries know this and are happy to capitalise upon it. Never mind children and those adults who have learned to control their sense of compulsion. Capitalism’s reply is simply “am I my brother’s keeper”? Because loot boxes, limited time events and cosmetic products are just surprise mechanics”.
There is an inherent appeal to being part of something that is currently happening. To be at the cutting edge of something new or at the heart of a major event or talking point. It’s nice to belong, be part of a community and be able to say at a later date “I was there”. If you want to be less generous, it all can at times feel like a throwback to one’s adolescent years and not being excluded from the “in crowd”. One could even stray into the realm of armchair expertise and conjecture about the psychology of FOMO. Is it all part of the ongoing decline of society and the rise of the individual and consumer? Do we long to connect with others or are we just infantilised, emotionally stunted, perpetual teenagers who are incapable of countenancing going without? FOMO is indeed a complex social issue but as a business tool it is as plain as the nose on your face. People don’t like to miss out, so regularly offer them short term deals and watch the money come rolling in.
Is this man missing out or has he been deliberately excluded due to his choice of knitwear?
In my youth, I was often an early adopter. I was enamoured with new technology and would jump in feet first when a new product launched. I did this for a while with video games, often participating in alpha and beta testing and then enduring the iniquities of a bad launch. But I am older and wiser now, having learned the hard way. I’ll wait for an operating system, hand held device or game to be out some time nowadays before contemplating buying it. Let others ensure the bugs, flaws and lack of functionality. Most importantly, I am not fundamentally tormented by the notion that other people are having more fun than me at any time of the day. Doing things I can’t do or can’t afford to do. Because it’s a futile concept that if taken to extremes, will leave you constantly dissatisfied and envious.
A pop culture reference to contracts
Sure there are plenty of people who are currently indulging their personal vices or having a bacon sandwich, while I am not. But there are also people going to bed hungry or being tortured by the secret police, while I am not (although Mrs P does make me take out the recycling). FOMO is very much a first world problem and is very much underpinned by a sense of entitlement. I believe this may be a generational thing as I don’t remember anyone handing me a legally binding contract during my first day of school that stated that I’d always have “everything” and always “get my own way”. Joking aside, for me it is just a practical reality that you can’t do all the things you’d like. Occasionally I will have a pang of envy that I’ve not got that experience of playing World of Warcraft or that I have no association with sports. But these feelings are short-lived. Rather than worry about what I can’t do, I prefer to focus on what I can and therefore enjoy it all the more.
NB: I previously wrote a post about FOMO on 24th of September 2019. When you’ve been blogging for as long as I have some subjects are bound to come around more than once.
Fear of Missing Out
According to Wikipedia Fear of Missing Out (or FOMO) is “a pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent". Now that may sound to some as a somewhat trivial concern. One that encapsulates the concept of “first world problems” and “Generation Me”. Yet for many, it is a genuine concern. “Fear of missing out” is a not too distant cousin of “fear of being excluded”. Something that is a common part of bullying culture. FOMO plays to human insecurities and we live in times where people feel increasingly vulnerable. If you want further evidence of the veracity of FOMO, consider how it is something that marketing departments now actively seek to play upon and uses for leverage. A recent leaked document for the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) outlined how they wish to streamline and revitalise the ailing E3 trade show. One suggestion is to make "exclusive/appointment only activations for select attendees who will create buzz and FOMO”.
According to Wikipedia Fear of Missing Out (or FOMO) is “a pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent". Now that may sound to some as a somewhat trivial concern. One that encapsulates the concept of “first world problems” and “Generation Me”. Yet for many, it is a genuine concern. “Fear of missing out” is a not too distant cousin of “fear of being excluded”. Something that is a common part of bullying culture. FOMO plays to human insecurities and we live in times where people feel increasingly vulnerable. If you want further evidence of the veracity of FOMO, consider how it is something that marketing departments now actively seek to play upon and uses for leverage. A recent leaked document for the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) outlined how they wish to streamline and revitalise the ailing E3 trade show. One suggestion is to make "exclusive/appointment only activations for select attendees who will create buzz and FOMO”.
For good or ill, it would seem that FOMO is now facet of twentieth century culture. Much like reaction videos, shit posting and the most intellectually bereft member of society being allowed on national television. Furthermore, I cannot claim to be impervious to this malady. I have discussed in the past how I was an avid “early adopter” of technology two decades ago. Something I cannot simply chalk up to just enthusiasm and zeal. FOMO did play a part in this. And then there has been times when fandom has become a job, rather than a leisure activity. I have a friend who still likes to remind me of the numerous times I got up at some ridiculous hour to watch videos that I had to return to Blockbusters, later that day. As a movie fan, it has always been difficult to try and keep up with all the new releases as well as older classics. It’s something I take a far more measured approach to these days but again in the past, FOMO was a factor driving the mentality that I had to “do it all”.
Recently, I took stock of my interests and pastimes. I decided to recalibrate my expectations and aspirations and that meant making some changes. Subsequently, I took to Twitter and spent some time reflecting upon who I was following. I believe the maximum number of people you can follow realistically is about 150. I’m currently over that number by a sizeable amount but I did prune about thirty of so accounts I was following. I based my decision upon how often an account tweeted and whether they were big on interacting with others. I did feel the occasional pang of guilt but ultimately you have to be realistic about what you can and cannot do. Following an excess of people on Twitter just leads to having your timeline swamped and increases the chance of missing something important amid all the white noise. There were also a few people who I couldn’t remember as to why I was following them.
I carried out the same exercise on Feedly and removed several blogs that didn’t seem to be producing any content on a regular basis. As predicted, the drop off rate after Blaugust was noticeable. I also had several blogs on my list that have been dead for a long time and it was merely nostalgia on my part keeping them there. I am also getting somewhat tired of commercial video gaming websites. They have a tendency to regurgitate the same company press releases where it is only the think pieces and long form articles that really interest me. So I have purged many of these. I’ve also shed some of the movie news websites I was following, as these aren’t really broad enough and tend to be too focused on “superhero” movies. And while I’ve been “downsizing” the extent of my online content consumption, I also unsubscribed from numerous YouTube channels. The commercial ones were exceedingly predictable and many of the “non-professional” content creators seemed to have ground to a halt. May be this medium is no longer the cash cow that many assumed it was. And then there’s my gaming “wish lists”. They got kicked into touch as well after a healthy dose of realism.
Here are some fun facts about the “average persons” lifespan. We spend about a third of our lives asleep. That’s 30 years plus. Joe public also spends about five years on the phone during the course of their life. A human brain can store up to a quadrillion separate bit of information in its longterm memory during our “three score years and ten”. Then add to that mix, time spent working, raising children and perhaps most importantly, procrastinating. The bottom line is you’re never going to fit in everything that you want to do. Nope. Not going to happen. The reality of the situation is that FOMO should be logically replaced by AOMO; acceptance of missing out. It’s a mindset I’ve eased myself into over the last decade. Pick what you want to do wisely. Be realistic and honest with yourself about what you can and cannot fit into your schedule. As for FOMO, isn’t it better to do several things well and enjoy them thoroughly, rather than attempting to do too many things at once and doing them badly? You’d think so. But then again people are seldom logical.