In addition to my own posts, I also write for CloudTweaks, an authority on cloud computing. My most recent post forcuses on the social condition known as “fear of losing out (FOLO)”, a direct consequence of being online all the time. The post covers a technology created by Gravy which adds a new dimension of immediacy to your social awareness and its corresponding calendar. Here is an excerpt:
A timely addition to the acronym-laden family tree of modern language, right up there with YOLO (you only live once), and many evolutionary steps beyond the great-grandparents OMG and ROTFL, comes the wonderful term FOLO. This stands for “fear of losing out,” and quite concisely reflects the attitude of many millions of busy and connected people of all ages, for whom 24/7 access to Internet-based information remains a necessity – multidimensional and ever-expanding, with data both incoming and outgoing across a range of social media platforms. For these types of people there exists an appetite for knowledge and awareness that cannot be satiated.
The need to know is a very human one, and hence FOLO, the fear of losing out, of not knowing about every activity or item of knowledge that is out there, is a natural outcome. This desire, at least on the entertainment and leisure side is being answered by increasingly sophisticated hyperlocal mobile apps such as Gravy, which shows its customers every event happening nearby, and which can find solutions for their entertainment wanderlust by using their phone’s geolocation features combined with a smart recommendation algorithm.
To read the full post, please visit CloudTweaks here.
Steve Prentice 