« FOMO: Fear of Missing Out is provocative, timely and highly persuasive »

FOMO – Fear of Missing Out: Practical Decision Making in a World of Overwhelming Choice
by Patrick J. McGinnis
Sourcebooks, May 2020

FOMO speaks directly to the dark side of social media lurking below all the colorful memes and hashtags and explores how FOMO is a powerful, persistent and widespread mindset that causes stress, insecurity, jealousy, and even depression in individuals in its sway.Writing with urgency, vision and brio, Patrick is opening a window on a pervasive condition that affects a huge number of people in their personal and business relationships – filled with real life stories, current research, and personal insights, FOMO: Fear of Missing Out is provocative, timely and highly persuasive in defining a cultural ethos of our digital-driven age and calling for change. There is no similar book on the market or in the works.

Patrick J. McGinnis is a writer, speaker and venture capitalist and private equity investor who has invested in leading companies in the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. He is credited with coining the term “FOMO” or “fear of missing out,” which was added to the Oxford Dictionary in 2013. His original article on the topic, written while at Harvard Business School, was published in the “Fear” issue of Lapham’s Quarterly alongside pieces by Sigmund Freud, Nadine Gordimer, Joseph Heller, Václav Havel, and Thomas Hobbes. A graduate of Georgetown University and Harvard Business School, Patrick has visited more than 80 countries and is fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, and French.