FOMO caution: A fear that's raising our risk of stampedes

Mint

19-06-2025

It was on the night of 3 June that Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), a cricket team with a vast fan following, finally succeeded in lifting their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy after a wait of 18 long years. That this win had sent waves of excitement around the city of Bengaluru was obvious. Many fans appeared delirious with joy. But few could have expected that their celebrations would end in tragedy the very next day.
A victory procession that seems to have been organized in a hurry led crowds of fans thronging to a stadium in Bengaluru, where the gathering unexpectedly swelled beyond the ability of the security personnel to handle, resulting in a stampede that took several lives and left many injured.
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What was meant to be a moment of triumph turned into a gloomy day that no one wants to remember. Like after every such incident, a committee was formed to probe its causes. But a deeper question emerges: Is this stampede another example of how FOMO—or the 'fear of missing out'—dictates our actions in this age of keeping up with social media feeds?
FOMO refers to the worry people experience when they believe they are losing out on a significant or rewarding experience. While it is mostly linked with social media, it also influences real-world behaviour, such as attending mass events.
The star-studded RCB's long-awaited victory had turned into more than just a sports moment. Fans across generations who had stood by the team through humiliating losses, poor finishes and online trolling saw the IPL win as redemption. The team's brand, popularized by superstar players like Virat Kohli and others, had cultivated a near-religious following. The victory parade was, in essence, a spiritual culmination.
The announcement of an open-top bus parade sent social media into overdrive. Thousands poured into key points along the route hours in advance. Traffic was choked and the police found themselves overwhelmed. People climbed trees, bus stops and traffic signals to catch a glimpse of the team. Amid all the fervour, as people converged on the stadium, things went out of control.
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Stampedes are not very uncommon. Just five months ago, one occurred at the Mahakumbh gathering in Prayagraj, followed by another at New Delhi railway station. Sports gatherings have been vulnerable globally. Cairo, Lusaka, Basra and other cities have witnessed stadium stampedes that took lives. It's part of a growing pattern of crowd disasters powered by FOMO culture.
This culture has powerful drivers behind it. Consider the following.
Social media urgency: The need to post that perfect photo or video 'from the scene' is a major motivation.
Celebrity worship: In India, cricket stars command a fanbase that rivals that of religious figures. Missing the parade may have been akin to sacrilege for many.
Scarcity mindset: The belief that 'we will never get this chance again' can push people to take irrational risks to participate in a crowd event.
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The darker side of FOMO is its ability to override logic. People in Bengaluru skipped work, school and in many cases, even safety precautions just to be a part of the celebration. Several attendees later confessed that they stayed on at the location even after it had begun to seem dangerous because they didn't want to be among those 'who missed out.' This compulsion to witness something historic, to belong and to broadcast seems like the result of emotional conditioning. It is as if our worth is increasingly measured by how 'in the moment' we are, even when the moment is potentially harmful.
While cultural reflection is necessary, so is administrative accountability. The parade's planning—or lack thereof—was a disaster waiting to happen. From here on, several measures need to be adopted.
Attendance should be through pre-registration. Crowd-pulling events should be live-streamed widely to reduce physical crowding. Points of fan interaction should be spread out, so as to keep numbers manageable. And the police should hold crowd control drills.
But no system can succeed without public cooperation. For that, a cultural shift is needed—from 'I must be there' to 'Do I need to be there?'
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At its heart, cricket is a game of unity, passion and joy. But when fans are pushed—by peer pressure, marketing hype and need for online validation—to display their loyalty by showing up, we turn a celebration into a crisis. It's worth asking: Would RCB's win be any less fulfilling if one had watched it from one's living room? Does one's support mean less if one doesn't post a reel from the parade? The answer, surely, is no.
The team's IPL win will remain etched in sports history. But the chaotic scenes that followed must be remembered too—not to tarnish the victory, but to illuminate a truth we often ignore. That not all good things must be witnessed live in person to be meaningful.
Let this stampede be more than just another urban cautionary tale. Let it spark conversations in homes, schools and online spaces about how we celebrate and why we chase moments. Maybe, just maybe, it's time to normalize saying, 'I chose to stay away—and I'm glad I did.' And in a world addicted to more, choosing less might just be an act of self-care that's both bold and wise.
Prateek Khanna of ICFAI Business School contributed to this piece.
The authors are, respectively, assistant professor, DIT University; and professor, IIFT New Delhi.