“The Evolution of Friendship and FOMO”

Sylvia Sierra, assistant professor of communications and rhetorical studies in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, was quoted in The New York Times story “The Evolution of Friendship and FOMO.” Sierra, a linguist who studies millennial culture, explained the origins of the term FOMO, or ‘fear of missing out’. “These kinds of acronyms or neologisms are hard to pin down in terms of origins, but it seems generally accepted that the coinage of FOMO can be traced back to the early 21st century,” Sierra said.