Hype cycles & FOMO
Lesson 4 of 12 in our free Crypto, Hype & Finfluencers guide: a 5-minute money game with the key points below.
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Quick facts
- A few niche forums mention it → Early buzz. Quiet early days.
- Your nan asks you about it at Sunday dinner → Peak hype. When it's mainstream gossip, it's peak hype. (Sorry, Nana.)
- Headlines say 'investors lose billions' → Crash. The crash.
- Every second video on your feed is about it → Peak hype. Peak FOMO.
- 'I'll buy now, I can research later' → FOMO talking. Buy-first-think-later is FOMO's catchphrase.
- 'What happens if this halves next week?' → Clear thinking. Thinking about the downside is grown-up energy.
- 'Everyone else is in, so it must be fine' → FOMO talking. Crowds can be wrong together.
- 'I'll sleep on it for 24 hours' → Clear thinking. If it's still a good idea tomorrow, it'll still be there.
- Myth: “If something has gone up a lot recently, it will keep going up.” — Past rises tell you nothing for certain about the future.
- Fact: “Feeling urgent pressure to buy is a warning sign.” — Urgency switches off careful thinking — scammers and hype both use it.
- Myth: “Missing a hype wave is the worst thing that can happen to your money.” — Losing money you needed is far worse than missing a gain you never had.