New research from Groupon Malaysia has found that FOMO, the social phenomenon that has taken over the online world, affects nearly half the nation with 47 per cent of Malaysians experiencing it. Interestingly, Malaysia was found to have the second highest FOMO rate in the region, ahead of Singapore who had the lowest FOMO rate. Could it be that Malaysians have become more “kiasu” than their Singaporean neighbours?
FOMO, otherwise known as the Fear of Missing Out, or #FOMO, is a form of social anxiety where one is compulsively concerned about missing out on key social interactions, good times, new experiences or something great. Surprisingly, the main cause of FOMO in Malaysians is hearing friends and family talk about their own experiences (43 per cent), significantly higher than seeing pictures from friends and family on social media (25 per cent). Between our social circle constantly discussing their latest escapades and incessantly posting food and travel photos on social media, it’s no wonder Malaysians are acutely aware of what they’re missing out on.
Why don’t they leave the house and get amongst it? 38 per cent of Malaysians identified a lack of funds as the main obstacle standing in their way, while 29 per cent quoted a lack of spare time as the issue. At the top of most Malaysians’ bucket lists for this year is to explore their own local backyard (72 per cent, the highest in the region). The study also yielded interesting results in the sense that Malaysians are the highest advocates of exploring their own city, compared with the rest of the Asia Pacific nations, who would prefer to go out of their cities. Perhaps despite a lack of spending power and time constraints, Malaysians are happy to make the most out of their environment and continue their exploration in a more inward fashion, turning #FOMO into #YOLO (You Only Live Once).
Next on the list is international travel (50 per cent), and domestic travel coming in third at 47 per cent. It seems that not only have Malaysians been taken over by FOMO, but they have also been bitten by the wanderlust bug. Doesn’t matter if it’s hitting up local hot spots or traveling across international waters, Malaysians just want to explore. When it comes to traveling on home turf, Malaysians identified Langkawi, Penang and Cameron Highlands as their “top three to see” before January rolls around.
“Our very own social circles are exacerbating FOMO in Malaysia, whether through word of mouth or social media, and a lack of funds and time are compounding this. Luckily the things we most want to see and experience are those, quite literally, in our backyard. With that in mind, Groupon wants to help Malaysians explore their city on a price tag that won’t break the bank. We literally have hundreds of new deals on the site every day, at prices up to 70 or 80 per cent off, which means no one has reason to experience FOMO,” said Rafiq Razali, CEO of Groupon Malaysia.
Based on what Malaysians would most like to do before the year is out, Groupon.my has curated a list of Sweet September deals to help Malaysians deal with FOMO and “make lemonade out of the situation”. The Sweet September deals can be viewed here http://gr.pn/SweetSept_FOMO
