All terms
Fear, uncertainty and doubt, whether the concern is real or manufactured.
FUD originally described deliberate misinformation spread to depress a price or discourage adoption. In practice the term gets thrown at any criticism, which is a problem.
Learn to separate the two. Manufactured FUD is vague, emotional and anonymous. Legitimate concern is specific, sourced and falsifiable. Dismissing all criticism as FUD is how people stay in bad positions.
A rumor with no source that an exchange is insolvent is FUD. A published report showing an exchange cannot cover withdrawals is information.
That FUD means the criticism is false. It is used to describe both invented smears and completely accurate warnings, and the word is deployed hardest by people who need you not to sell. Ask whether the claim is true rather than what it is being called.
Common questions
How do I tell real criticism from FUD?
Why do communities call any criticism FUD?
Where to go next
More culture terms
Want this explained out loud?
Some of these land faster in conversation than in writing. Sessions are one to one and you can ask anything, including the things that feel too obvious to ask.