Allow me to assume that you are a somewhat experienced traveler of the interwebs. If so, it is likely you know about Google, Facebook, and online criminals and hackers who steal information for their own profit. Yes, all four. Google and Facebook included.
There is a reason why the search engine giant and social media behemoth employ psychologists. They need help understanding the human condition. That knowledge helps them to exploit humanity for gain. How so?
FOMO.
Fear Of Missing Out. Yes, it’s a thing and it comes about because Google and Facebook and other entities which prey upon online humankind who need private information and are sufficiently unregulated that people don’t mind losing security.
FOMO.
Anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on a social media website.
a state of mental or emotional strain caused by the fear of missing out.
Evolutionary biology – an omnipresent anxiety brought on by our cognitive ability to recognize potential opportunities: The brothers had last-slice fomo as they stared at what was left of pizza.
(with subject) desire to do something, typically accompanied by unease.
A form of social anxiety – a compulsive concern that one might miss an opportunity or satisfying event, often aroused by posts seen on social media websites.
The psychologists and engineers at Google, Facebook, and other technology companies that build and sell hardware and software and services work to exploit human weaknesses.
FOMO.
John C. Dvorak (yes, that Dvorak) before he got fired at PC Magazine:
The FOMO Plague Is Turning Us Into Smartphone Zombies
Indeed.
Look around. What do you see? A sea of humanity all slumped over their smartphones, walking around as if emulating zombies. Chiropractic and Orthopedics would seem to be good professions to take advantage of what will amount to a raging epidemic of sore necks and backs in another decade or so.
What are we doing?
Some are posting to social media, clutching the smartphone grip and trying out different angles. Others are just obsessively checking and re-checking the phone whether they received a notification or not.
FOMO.
Yes, it’s a thing– a dangerous trend– and if you check your iPhone or Android-whatever without a notification alert then you’re guilty of being exploited by the same human disorder that Google, Facebook, and even Apple psychologists employe to take milk humanity of privacy and security.
We’re human lobsters in the boiling pot of a real life, real time episode of The Twilight Zone.
Right now this all looks like some science-fiction comedy act that needs to stop.
Indeed.