Not 'Fear Of Missing Out,' It's All About FOBO Now - Here's What It Means

You've probably heard of - and even experienced - FOMO or the Fear of Missing Out, but there's a new buzzword to learn: FOBO. FOMO was coined in 2004 to explain the feeling you get when you believe there is something greater going on that you are missing out on.

The term has even acquired a position in the Oxford English Dictionary, where it is defined as 'fear of missing out, concern that an exciting or unusual event may be happening elsewhere, frequently prompted by posts seen on a social networking website'. I'm sure we've all fallen into this trap at some point, eh? 

However, whereas FOMO is typically associated with your social life, the more recently coined FOBO has been observed in businesses and appears to be gaining traction. So, what exactly does it stand for?

What if FOBO?

Fear of becoming obsolete. The term refers to your anxieties about your role becoming obsolete, maybe due to the arrival of new technology such as AI. According to a Gallup poll, 22% of US workers are concerned that technology would render their profession obsolete, a seven percentage point increase from 2021. 

Until this year, the figure had tended to hover between 13 and 17 per cent, with 'little upward movement,' according to Gallup. The big increase in recent months has primarily come from those who have completed higher education, where the percentage of concerned workers has climbed from 8% to 20%. 

And it looks like the concerns are not unjustified, as Goldman Sachs projected last month that "generative AI could expose the equivalent of 300 million full-time jobs to automation." While this may appear to be a doomsday scenario, there are several steps you may take to try to reduce FOBO. 

How to get over FOBO?

To begin, give yourself a career MOT - examine your profession and carefully assess any areas that want improvement, and then... well, work on them. You may be fortunate enough to have career development options at work that allow you to upskill. 

If this isn't a possibility, there are online resources where you may take a variety of courses to fill any knowledge gaps and spruce up your CV. Forbes also advises developing ties with coworkers, mentors, and industry specialists who can keep you connected and up to date on the newest trends in your sector. 

What do you think about this? Tell us in the comments.

For more trending stories, follow us on Telegram.