bright shiny object

plural bright shiny objects

1. figurativelySomething that attracts a great deal of attention because of its appealing superficial characteristics.

   A lot of people just play with social media because it's this new, bright, shiny object, but they don't really know what they're doing.

   2010, Mitch Meyerson, Success Secrets of Social Media Marketing Superstars, page 103

   2 more examples

   Why add this extra layer of software? It sounds like someone is wanting to use their new BSO. (Bright Shiny Object) I wouldn't use it in my production environments.

   2003 April 11, Jim Kennedy, “Re: VMWare for Production Environment”, in comp.databases.oracle.server (Usenet)

   This is the “bright shiny object” phenomenon that the majority of entrepreneurs experience—you see something and are attracted to it ... until a new bright shiny object catches your eye.

   2008, Larina Kase, The Confident Leader, page 28

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see bright, shiny, object.