Millennials and Gen-Zers are Victims of FTMO—Here’s What That Means

Hypothetical FOMO situations once haunted us, but with the current state of the job market, price gouging, and the rising gap between wages and the cost of goods, a new and far more dire phenomenon is taking FOMO’s place. FTMO, Forced to Miss Out, refers to how millions of Americans are forced to miss key moments in life—particularly, social or life events. Birthday celebrations, drinks with friends, trips with loved ones, and holiday dinners and gift exchanges are basically out of the question—because they’re living paycheck to paycheck.

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Chime, a banking platform, recently released a survey with key figures highlighting how Gen Z and Millennials in particular have become the “missing out” generations. In the past six months, over 50 percent of Millennials and Gen Z have missed out on something they wanted—or needed—because they were waiting for their next paycheck. With the holidays in full tow, this only gets exacerbated; what’s left in our bank accounts isn’t enough for flights home or gifts, so we’re FTMO yet again.

To better understand the phenomenon, how it’s impacting people in the short and long term, and what we can do to lessen or avoid FTMO altogether as the holidays approach, we connected with Chime’s Chief Experience Officer, Janelle Sallenave, who shared her expert insight and advice.

In this article 1 What is FTMO? 2 How FTMO affects us 3 How to combat FTMO this season and beyond