FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt)

FUD stands for ‘fear, uncertainty and doubt’. In the Bitcoin community, it’s a label for news that stirs up sentiment against Bitcoin, such as ‘Bitcoin is going to be banned’ or ‘Bitcoin is dead’.

Origin

The term became known in the computer industry: in 1975, Gene Amdahl, who had left IBM and founded his own company, used it to describe how IBM salespeople deliberately unsettled customers.^[1] So it meant uncertainty spread on purpose, not any piece of bad news.

FUD or legitimate criticism?

The label can be stuck on any uncomfortable criticism. But some warnings are justified, for example about price swings or scams. Four questions help you tell the difference:

• Source: a law, an authority, a study – or a rumour?
• Evidence: does the claim give a date, a figure and proof?
• Interest: who benefits if you believe it – or if you dismiss it as FUD?
• Consequences: what actually changes for you?

Criticism & risks, honestly explained puts the real weak spots in context; Psychology & discipline covers how to deal with unsettling headlines. The counterpart to FUD is FOMOGlossaryFOMO (fear of missing out)‘Fear of missing out’. With Bitcoin, it’s the urge to buy quickly after sharp price rises. FOMO is a common trigger for costly bad decisions.On the learning path: Stage 3 · Step 2 – Goal first →In the glossary →×.