Psychology Wiki  Fear, uncertainty and doubt  34,115pages on
this wiki     FUD is generally a strategic attempt to influence
perception by disseminating negative and dubious or false
information. An individual firm, for example, might use FUD to
invite unfavorable opinions and speculation about a competitor's
product; to increase the general estimation of switching cost
among current customers; or to maintain leverage over a current
business partner who could potentially become a rival.  The term
originated to describe disinformation tactics in the computer
hardware industry but has since been used more broadly.[3] FUD
is a manifestation of the appeal to fear.   The term appeared in
other contexts as far back as the 1920s.[4][5] By 1975, the term
was already appearing abbreviated as FUD in marketing and sales
contexts:[6]   FUD was first defined with its specific current
meaning by Gene Amdahl about 1975 after he left IBM to found his
own company, Amdahl Corp.: "FUD is the fear, uncertainty, and
doubt that IB