Fear of Missing Out and Relational Aggression on Facebook

Abstract

The use of social networking sites has been associated with fear of missing out (FOMO), which is characterized by perceiving others as having more rewarding lives. This study investigated whether FOMO is related to Facebook relational aggression through a desire to avoid inferiority and engagement in manipulative behaviors. Facebook users (N = 190, 87 percent women) completed an online survey assessing FOMO, striving to avoid inferiority, interpersonal manipulation, and Facebook relational aggression. Serial mediation analysis demonstrated that higher levels of FOMO were associated with increased desire to avoid inferiority, which in turn was associated with higher levels of interpersonal manipulation and subsequent higher reported rates of Facebook relational aggression. The research considers how FOMO is associated with socially aversive Facebook behavior to meet psychosocial needs deficits.