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How I Think

😨 What is Weaponized FOMO?

Published over 1 year ago • 2 min read

Hey you! Yes you. Sorry, you didn't get this on Thursday... But it's currently 1:21 AM here in New York City and I'm making sure this hits your inbox ASAP.

But I have something a little different this week... a theory of mine called Weaponized FOMO! And I'm curious what you think...

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So FOMO is a secret force driving your life.

And the world's best marketers are now weaponizing it against you.

Here's the breakdown of "Weaponized FOMO" with crypto as a case study (and why it matters)...

If you are a human (stop reading now robot friends), then you're hardwired to want more.

More Money.

More Status.

More Validation.

It doesn't matter if you have $2 or $2 billion.

But...

Back in the good ole cave-dwelling days, our picture of the world was limited.

You had a close circle of family and friends.

Then we got the internet and Facebook made it's mission to "Connect the World".

And now you know way too much about random people's lives.

So your eyes are glued to Insta, Twitter, Snap, all day long.

Scrolling. Stopping. Checking. Scrolling. Stopping. Checking.

Until...

It's Friday night and you see a picture of your fake friend from college Jessica who's at an "EPIC PARTY".

You're at dinner with your best friend in the world.

But crippling anxiety punches you right in the chest.

The dreaded fear that you are missing the world's best party.

And you can't stop thinking about it. So FOMO can ruin your night.

But what about something much more dangerous?

I'm calling it Weaponized FOMO.

Here's the scoop:

Everything is getting financialized.

And it's called crypto (or as the cool kids say, web3).

And crypto has changed incentives more than we can comprehend yet...

Before, no one used to cared about finance.

No one spent Saturdays reading public company 10Ks.

Why?

They are drier than the Sahara in the summer.

Finance used to be boring.

But now, you're a big bad Bitcoin holder.

You've watched every single "WHY BITCOIN IS GOING TO $1 TRILLION" Youtube video.

You subscribe to @TheMilkRoad, have tweet notifications on for @APompliano and google "Why Proof of Stake Sucks" every other day.

Why?

Because crypto is a cult where your bank account is directly tied to how many new members you recruit.

Ok, Chris how the heck does this tie to FOMO?

Crypto created powerful incentives for every 22 year old with a Twitter handle to tell everyone they know about the project they put $1,000 into yesterday

Why?
The easiest way to make money is for more people to buy it

But as you know, humans respond strongly to fear.

So weaponized FOMO is a brilliant modern marketing tool.

Weaponized FOMO = purposefully using fear of missing out as a tool to change behavior

One fun example:

If you encounter a crypto skeptic?

They are just "NGMI" (Not gonna make it)

And the implication is clear: "You will miss out on the biggest financial win of your life by not investing every dollar into Bitcoin" (or insert other crypto project).

Normal FOMO is anxiety that you are missing a fun party.

Weaponized FOMO is that you are ruining your life by missing out.

Now, I don't have the secret sauce to solve Weaponized FOMO (yet).

But I do know one thing.

We will either become better at ignoring it all until we understand the incentives.

Or risk ruin in our globally connected world.


That was fun,

Chris Hlad

p.s. if you liked this, make sure to subscribe by adding your email below

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