Fear of Missing Out

ABSTRACT What is the fear of missing out (FOMO)? I construe FOMO as a kind of fear which represents its object as absent and distinguish it from nearby phenomena such as regret and loneliness. This construal raises a tension. Philosophers understand fear as representing objects as dangerous, but it is less than clear how experiences of absence pose a threat to the subject. I argue that the threat is to be explained socially. I take FOMO to involve a representation of some absent experience as posing a threat to one's social connections.