It is an internet slang acronym that has come about with the rise in social media and posting pictures of events, parties, and gatherings. It’s used to describe a situation where someone has a fear or anxiety of missing out on social events that their other friends or contacts may currently be engaged in.
Social media users that suffer from the “fear of missing out” may end up constantly checking their devices for social media updates to see what their friends are doing. This can sometimes lead to these people cancelling plans or obsessing over what others are doing rather than enjoying their own life.
There really aren’t any other types of similar internet slang that can be used instead of “FOMO.” Rather, we can describe a person as being anxious, paranoid, or uneasy in general. That is to say that there is no one word that could replace this internet slang term but there are a lot of words we can use to describe someone’s behavior who has “FOMO.”
Since this texting abbreviation is most often used on social media, it is more likely to be used by young social media users.
What is FOMO’s origin?
The origin of this text acronym is said to come from the 1990s and was made popular after the September 11th terror attacks in New York City. The original phrase was “FOBO,” fear of a better option. After these attacks, people realized that life was often not guaranteed that this less to a desire to live every day to the fullest. People would often be looking for better opportunities, or options, for activities that they were currently engaged in.