Experiences Sold on the Fear of Missing Out

COCenk Onur Ozan ·16 Jul 2026Published 16 Jul 2026 ·2 min read

Social media algorithms were not designed to make us happy; they were designed to keep us on the screen. It sounds like a small difference, but I think it is the right place to start if you want to understand today’s experience economy.

Instagram and TikTok do not show us things in the order they happen; they push forward the content they predict we will react to most. The emotions we react to most easily are well known: admiration, envy, desire and that familiar feeling of “why am I not there?” This is exactly where FOMO, the fear of missing out, comes in.

B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore, who introduced the idea of the experience economy, said more than twenty years ago that experiences would become more valuable than products. Algorithms explain why experiences are consumed so quickly today. Behind many purchase decisions there is a wish to be seen more than a need. When we buy a holiday, we are really buying a story to tell; when we go to a restaurant, we are buying a picture to share.

The cycle works roughly like this. The algorithm shows us a piece of content, we compare ourselves with the people in it, a flicker of envy stirs, and then the fear of missing out arrives. We buy on impulse, we share the experience, and our post lands in front of other people and starts a new round of comparison.

I think it matters to ask where brands stand in this cycle. Are they triggering envy, building a sense of belonging, or leaning on the fear of missing out alone to sell? FOMO brings conversions in the short term, no doubt about that. But a brand built on a constant feeling of lack leaves its customers emotionally tired over time.

The new field of competition in the experience economy may have less to do with being more glamorous and more to do with being meaningful. People are no longer afraid only of missing out; they are also afraid of consuming things that mean nothing to them. Which feeling does your brand use to reach its customers?

Cenk Onur Ozan COO, Cloud4Feed

Writes about customer experience, behaviour and the decisions that follow from listening.

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