Hey everyone, The Fool from Easy Knowledge Channel is back! Last time we talked about the real cost of owning a “flashy” car, and along the way we also touched on the MyAladdinz app, which promised up to 80% cashback on any purchase. As far-fetched as that sounds, plenty of people still believed it and jumped in. As mentioned, that comes down to the FOMO effect. And as promised, today we’re talking about the FOMO effect (Fear Of Missing Out) — in plain terms, the effect that makes people believe everyone else is happier than they are.
SO WHAT CAUSES THE FOMO EFFECT?
This effect is born out of human imagination — it makes us make decisions based on feelings rather than actual needs or genuine desires. Everyone experiences FOMO in one way or another. We just chase different things: for some it’s status, for others it’s fame… and in our previous episode, we saw countless people fall into the MyAladdinz trap simply out of a desire to own expensive goods while getting up to 80% cashback.
A FEW TELLTALE SIGNS OF SOMEONE WITH FOMO
In a recent study, psychologists identified 6 typical symptoms of the FOMO effect. First, one of the classic signs is being unable to look away from your phone screen — when you’re in a crowd but still glued to your phone, crossing the street without looking, or worse, endlessly refreshing your social feed even though you know deep down there’s nothing new — that’s a sure sign you have FOMO.
The next sign — one that a lot of us do every single day — is photographing everything. We all have that one friend who always makes us stop for a few seconds to snap a cute cake, or asks us to take their selfie to show off a nice view or a shiny new “outfit.” If it’s a rare reunion with friends worth capturing, or a truly special dish, that’s normal — but if it’s become a habit purely for posting on social media, that’s a genuine sign of FOMO. And sometimes it annoys the people around you too!
Next up: you can’t say “no.” At first this sounds vague and hard to picture, but it’s true. Not being able to say no is also a sign of FOMO. Sometimes it’s not that you don’t dare refuse an invitation, a request, or a suggestion — it’s a fear of missing out on an opportunity, or something that’s sure to be fun. Like when your close friends invite you to a super chill rooftop bar, and even though you’re swamped with unfinished work, you still can’t say no. Yes — that’s a sign of the FOMO effect!
We can also mention a fifth sign here: you let nothing stand in the way of your plans — not even illness. At this point, some of you might wonder: why would pushing through hardship despite being sick be a symptom of FOMO?
And the last sign: you’re willing to spend a huge amount of money on things you can’t actually afford.
AND HERE’S SOME ADVICE FOR YOU…
Staying updated and keeping an eye on people, events, and things around you isn’t wrong in itself. That’s actually one of the reasons social media exists (along with phones, mail, and other means of communication before it). But remember, there are plenty of things far more important than being constantly surrounded by “virtual” friends and the online community. Focus on developing your own mindset and direction, and practice clearly separating real life from “virtual” life. That way, you’ll easily kick away the traps set by the FOMO effect.
Through the story of MyAladdinz and the FOMO effect, we’re reminded of the time of Nguyễn Thái Luyện and the multi-level-marketing story of the Alibaba company — we’ve actually written about this before, you can check it out via the link below:
But Big E has a solution for you: our Affiliate model! This model from Big E has created a positive ripple effect through quality products from brands like Big E electronics, TP-Menswear pants, Charme perfume… Stay tuned for the next episode to learn more!
THE FOOL — EASY KNOWLEDGE CHANNEL