Social support through online social networking sites and addiction among college students: The mediating roles of fear of missing out and problematic smartphone use

Abstract

Although prior research has found that receipt of social support through social networking sites is a significant predictor of Facebook addiction, the mechanism underlying this association remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the mediating roles of fear of missing out and problematic smartphone use in the relationship between these two variables in a Chinese context. Four hundred and sixty-five undergraduates participated in this study by completing measures of support received through online social networking sites, fear of missing out, problematic smartphone use, and addiction to Chinese social media. The results showed that fear of missing out and problematic smartphone use mediated the relationship between support through online social networking sites and addiction to such sites, both in series and in parallel. This might be among the first studies to elucidate the mechanism underlying the development of social media addiction from the perspective of online support. Although the cross-sectional design employed has several limitations, these findings offer a potential avenue of research in the development of strategies for the prevention of addiction to social networking sites and interventions for treating this affliction.