From a news perspective FOMO means “Fear Of Missing Out“. But it’s important to note that this is not a reference to actual, real fear. It’s rather the fear of missing out on something in relation to the next guy. And the distinction is very important.
Examples:
• a comet or an asteroid is heading towards Earth and will destroy all life.
• terrorists are threatening to blow up the world.
Does this ^ create FOMO?
No, because it affects everybody. Nobody is missing out.
Now consider the government handing out stimulus checks: Are you eligible to get one?
Or – do you suspect that your neighbour knows something about the markets that you don’t?
Do you fear missing out on the check? Yes, of course.
And why should your neighbour get something that you don’t? That is FOMO.
That is fear of missing out.
This subject also pertains to the distinctions between marketing vs news, or about announcements vs warnings.
What do YOU think is more “newsy”? Announcements? Or warnings?
You need to think back to the savanna.
Where humans roamed back in the day. Where our brains developed.
We where very adept at noticing differences in patterns. To detect the danger lurking in the background. In the fields, in the trees, in the night.
The ability to notice the danger was the difference between life and death.
The brain that could see the lion approaching survived.
The other guy did not continue to contribute to the gene pool.
Then suddenly we where swept forward by civilisation. But our brains did not develop at the same speed. Our brains are essentially the same today as 50,000 years ago. They are still adapted to detect DANGER.
That is why warnings are more important in the news than announcements.
Announcements are usually orchestrated. They are PR activities. Sure, they can be important, but they are not as important as the unexpected WARNING.
Your news output should favor the warnings, while still include the most important announcements.
This post is an excerpt and an example of a subject that Webonanza cares about. FOMO is an important aspect when we look at how to make a news outlet better. All types of news can benefit from a FOMO perspective. Get in touch to learn more.
