We’ve experienced FoMo (Fear of Missing out) since our childhood. You went to a shop to buy a toy. Your parents said you could buy it next week. The shopkeeper said, “I can’t promise this toy will be available till next week. If someone buys tomorrow, it is gone forever. And we have only one piece of this toy. And this is a limited edition toy.”
Fear of Missing out has been very well used as a ploy by the sales people to force us into buying things without thinking much about whether we need it or we have money for it. Once I was at a shop to buy some clothes. The sales person said some discount is available. But when I said I’ll come the next day, he said that the discounts are dynamic and the company may decide to end the discount the next day! Another time, a sales person told me that the discount may be discontinued within an hour. Heights of inducing gullible customers to buy things! Earlier they would put on advertisements, “offer valid till stocks last.” Now it’s “offer may end any time!”
Come to social media, FoMo has been implemented through disappearing updates. I guess snapchat started this trend where you could put up an update and it will disappear after 24 hours. Next, WhatsApp (status) and instagram (stories) also implemented these updates which would disappear after 24 hours. So people would end up checking the status or stories because these updates would disappear 24 hours later. WhatsApp has gone one step ahead and now doesn’t show when the story was updated. So you can’t even know when it will disappear. Very good.
While going through the news of how Mahakumbh Mela happens once in 144 years, I didn’t pay much attention. Later when many pointed out that the Maha Kumbh idea had some inconsistencies, I had to dig further. The 2025 Kumbh Mela was strongly promoted as Maha Kumbh Mela by the Uttar Pardes government. A huge crowd and stampede all happened because people thought they won’t be alive the next time Maha Kumbh Mela happens.
CAG report notes:
“Maha Kumbh Mela (MKM) is held every 144 years, Purna Kumbh Mela (KM) every twelve years, Ardh Kumbh Mela (AKM) every six years and Magh Mela Mela every year on the banks of river Ganga and its tributary Yamuna”
According to CAG report Maha Kumbh Mela (once in 144 years event) was held in 2013. Another book claims the one held in 2001 was Maha Kumbh Mela. So one thing is clear. There is no clarity on when the definitive Maha Kumbh Mela happens. It may just be a creation to induce FoMo into the gullible and blind religious followers. That’s it.
Go to any religious place. They’ll advertise certain things as occuring once in a lifetime. They say this is a rare phenomenon. They show a ritual to be sacred and available only for those who pay it and has limited seats. This is how FoMo has been created by religious bodies and priests. Time to understand this.
I feel the fear of missing out marketing tactic was introduced by the religious organisations long ago. If you wish to learn the best marketing and sales techniques, just look at religious organisations. Religious organisations are the biggest sellers and profit makers in the world and they operate under the garb of “not for profit” and never pay taxes.
