Abstract
“Fear of Missing Out” (FOMO) is an all-consuming feeling that is associated with mental and emotional stress. Such strains are caused by a compulsive concern that one is missing an opportunity for a socially rewarding experience often spotted on social media networks. While several personality and psychological factors have been empirically validated as correlated with FOMO, so far, little research has examined the effects of perceived group centrality (i.e., the extent to which group members feel included in the group) and fear of social exclusion on FOMO. Therefore, this study is aimed at examining the mechanism that links these socially driven factors and the need to belong with social media use and, consequently, FOMO, using structural equation modeling. A total of 490 college students ( mean age = 20.56 , SD = 1.44 ) completed a self-reported questionnaire that included measures of FOMO, the need to belong, social media use, perceived centrality, and fear of social exclusion. The need to belong emerged as the best predictor of FOMO, increasing it both directly and indirectly through the significant mediation of social media use. Females reported a greater need to belong and consequently more FOMO. Females also reported greater use of social media and greater perceived group centrality. Perceived centrality increased FOMO through social media use, but this indirect effect was not significant.
Highlights
The use of social media is pervasive
A number of personality and psychological factors have been empirically validated as correlated with Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), little research has far examined the effects of perceived group centrality and fear of social exclusion on FOMO
The SPSS t-test showed that gender significantly predicted the need to belong t ð415Þ = −4:09, p < :001, perceived centrality t ð394:8Þ = −2:91, p < :05, fear of social exclusion t ð405Þ = −2:21, p < :05, social media use t ð366Þ = −3:70, p < :001, and FOMO t ð459Þ = −3:42, p
Summary
The use of social media is pervasive. Social media is broadly defined as web-based services that enable users to create public or semipublic profiles, establish a communication network with other users, and exchange user-generated content [1]. It is estimated that 84% of American adults aged 18 to 30 years use one form or another of social media, such as YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook [2]. College students are the most digitally driven with roughly 97% of them using social media for an average of three hours per day [3,4,5]. It was reported that, on average, young Americans check their phones 262 times a day—that is, once every 5.5 minutes [6]. Many users find themselves checking their phones for messages, alerts, or calls, even when the phone has not been ringing or vibrating
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