Social Media and Negative Aspects of Well-Being: Does FOMO Play a Role?

Fear of missing out (FOMO) is a relatively new concept, however researchers have found that FOMO and social media use cause negative aspects of well-being, such as depression, anxiety, stress (Alabi, 2013; Alavi, 2011) and lack of academic motivation (Jacobsen and Forste, 2011). When using a correlational design, the current study examined the associations between social media engagement and negative aspects of well-being, while also examining the mediating role of FOMO between these variables. Participants (198 college students, M = 19 years old, 86 percent female, 74 percent Caucasian) completed online surveys, where participants reported on their levels of social media engagement (Alt, 2015), FOMO (Przybylski, 2013), depression, anxiety, stress (Antony, 1998), and academic motivation (Lockwood, 2002). Findings indicated that FOMO was a significant mediator for the associations between social media engagement and anxiety and stress. However, FOMO did not seem to mediate the relationship between social media engagement and depression and academic motivation. These findings supported previous research claiming that social media use can have negative effects on well-being (Alabi, 2013; Alavi et al., 2011); however, experimental research is needed to better understand the causation of these negative effects

Using an online formative assessment framework to enhance student engagement: a learning outcomes approach

Students learn best when they are fully engaged in the learning process, are motivated to test their current level of learning against known standards, and are offered targeted and timely support to help address subsequent personal learning needs. The most usual way to do this is through the use of assessment, but this in itself can act as an overbearing influence on what and how students learn, rather than providing an holistic support mechanism that encourages continuous reflective learning. Summative assessment provides a quantitative measure of learning at specific points in time, but may not encourage students to focus on specific strengths and weaknesses in need of attention. Formative assessment can provide specific reflective and feed-forward support, but given the time-poor nature of many students, is this perceived as a useful part of the learning process? This paper presents an overview of work in progress (funded by Centre for Open Learning in Maths, Science, Computing and Technology CETL at The Open University), on the development and implementation of an online interactive formative assessment framework, that has designed from a constructivist perspective, to promote student engagement and understanding of academic progression, using an learning outcomes approach. The framework specifically aims to enhance student awareness, understanding and recognition of competency levels, and to allow testing of ongoing academic progress at predetermined and self-selected points throughout the year. Each assessment makes explicit links to other components of the course including the summative assessment strategy, as a means of providing an integrated approach to learning. By working through the formative assessments it is hoped that students will become more self-directed and confident in their learning skills and abilities, which in turn should improve retention. The framework uses OpenMark (a web-based system developed within the Open University) in which students have up to three attempts to correctly answer each question, and are offered instantaneous and targeted feedback after each incorrect attempt. The system collects information on the answers submitted, and the time taken to complete each question, offering valuable insight into how (and which) students are engaging with the assessment and course materials. This data permits new targeted feedback to be added in response to common errors, as well as additional support mechanisms to be incorporated in response to specific skills or content that is poorly demonstrated. All feedback in the framework is formative, commenting on how well each of the learning outcomes tested over a period of study has been demonstrated, as well as the overall level of academic competency attained at that point in time. At present, the framework encompasses seven interactive assessments (linked to fortnightly periods of study), consisting of ten variable-format questions (set at two levels of academic complexity). A planned eighth assessment will randomly select questions from preceding assessments, offering an instantaneous interactive revision tool. Preliminary results indicate that students not only rate the assessments as enjoyable, but are revisiting specific assessments as a means of enhancing previous outcomes and checking their progression on aspects they previously had difficulties with

Do Fear of Missing-out Mediated by Social Media Addiction Influence Academic Motivation Among Emerging Adulthood?

Abstract The aim of this research was to examine the relationship between fear of missing out and academic motivation mediated by social media addiction among emerging adulthood. The participants involved in this research were 18 to 25 years emerging adulthood, who live in Special Region of Yogyakarta. They were active internet users and have used the internet for more than 6 months. Furthermore, they were students in both high school and university. The hypothesis proposed in this study was that there is a relationship between fear of missing out and academic motivation mediated by social media addiction. The results showed that the hypothesis was correct. This implies that the fear of missing out is negatively correlated with academic motivation mediated by social media addiction. However, it was discovered that there was a positive correlation between fear of missing out and social media addiction. There was also a negative correlation between social media addiction and academic motivation.Keywords: social media addiction, fear of missing out, academic motivation, emerging adulthoo

Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) and Personality: Their Relationship to Collegiate Alcohol Abuse

This study serves to examine the effects Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) and personality have on alcohol-related consequences in collegiate students. To investigate these relationships, a survey was distributed to Butler University students via their daily email listserv, and 101 students’ responses were recorded. Using multiple regression analyses, no relationship was found between an individual’s degree of experienced FoMO and alcohol related consequences; however, neuroticism was found to be strongly correlated with FoMO. Additionally, extroversion inversely predicted more alcohol-related consequences, and Greek affiliation was found to be a significant predictor of one’s consequences as well

Lonely Zs: Examining the Relationships among Time Spent on Social Networking Sites, the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), and Loneliness among Undergraduate College Students

Time spent on social networking sites has become an essential part of the Gen Z’s social experience, and the fear of missing out (FoMO), and loneliness have become three well known topics among today’s college students. It is suspected that emerging adults are spending an excessive amount of time on SNSs, which is contributing to the increasing psychological decline and the epidemic of loneliness on college campuses around the world. The research conducted sought to determine if there is a predictive relationship between multiple variables, including time spent on social networking sites, the fear of missing out (FoMO), and loneliness among undergraduate college students. The study included collection of demographic characteristics including (age, gender, ethnicity, and number of SNSs owed), along with the related period(s) and (e) motives of use, specifically (a) academic (b) public places, (c) relaxation/free, and (d) stress. The results indicated there is a predictive relationship between time spent on social networking sites, loneliness, and the fear of missing out (FoMO). Further, it was found that loneliness was predictive of FoMO and related periods of use, specifically during stressful times and in public places was predictive of loneliness and FoMO. Results also revealed that demographic characteristics, specifically number of social networking accounts owned was predictive of FoMO and loneliness, and ethnicity was predictive of FoMO

Need to Belong, Fear of Missing Out, and Social Media Use: Predictors of Perceived Social Rejection

The decline in mental health among U.S. college students is a significant concern. Research suggests that social media use may contribute to this decline. Heavy reliance on social media has been linked to feelings of loneliness and disconnection, psychological distress, and a fear of missing out on rewarding social experiences, which may ultimately trigger feelings of social rejection. Using a foundation of need to belong theory, the purpose of this quantitative study was to examine individual differences in the need to belong, fear of missing out, and social media use as predictors of emotional and behavioral reactions to ambiguous social situations where social rejection can be inferred. Online survey data from 157 undergraduate students who use social media were collected using the Need to Belong Scale, Fear of Missing Out Scale, Social Networking Time Use Scale, and the Rejection Scenarios Questionnaire. Results from a hierarchical multiple regression revealed that increases in need to belong, fear of missing out, and social media use predicted heightened negative emotional reactions as well as avoidant and complaining behavioral reactions to perceived social rejection. Social media use and the fear of missing out predicted retaliation behavior in response to rejection. The predictor variables were not related to not acting friendly behavior. This study can promote social change by informing policy and instruction on digital media literacy, social media use in the classroom, and therapeutic interventions offered by campus psychological services, all of which can positively influence college students’ mental health and wellbeing

The dialectical experience of the fear of missing out for U.S. American iGen emerging adult college students

FoMO, the fear of missing out, is a salient and significant experience with personal and relational consequences. This study qualitatively analyzed 35 interviews with iGen emerging adult college students about their experiences with FoMO. Framed by relational dialectics theory 2.0 (Baxter, L. A. (2011). Voicing relationships: A dialogic perspective. Sage), we found two relational-level contradictions, connection and disconnection and inclusion and exclusion, which are illuminated by the cultural-level interplay of the discourses of ‘carpe diem’ and ‘investment in the future.’ Findings indicate that through the discourse of carpe diem, participants attempt to increase the power awarded to relational and personal resources and expand what it means to invest in the future. Implications of these findings related to well-being and academic success are discussed and practical applications for institutions of higher education such as team-based learning and more holistic professional development programs are presented

The Effects of Social Media on Psychological Distress: Contributions of Loneliness, Fear of Missing Out, and Need Satisfaction

Social media use is a major part of everyday American life and has continued to increase in the last decade particularly due to increased access of social media capable devices. The most frequent users of social media appear to be adolescent youth and college aged adults. Being as pervasive as it is, the effects of social media use as worth exploring. Research has established associations between social media use and negative mental and physical health outcomes. A key area of study has explored loneliness and found social media use predicts increased feelings of loneliness. Other research contests these findings suggesting other factors beyond just usage, and some argue that social media use can even reduce loneliness. These conflicting findings suggest the potential role of motivation and intention for engaging in social media use. Such drivers of social media use may be found within self-determination theory, and fear of missing out. The study evaluated a moderated mediation model wherein the indirect effect of social media use on distress were mediated by loneliness, the latter of which was moderated by need satisfaction and FOMO. The results indicate that social media does not exhibit a moderated mediation effect. There was no evidence that need satisfaction and FOMO moderated the effect of social media usage on loneliness, which in turn was hypothesized to be linked to heightened psychological distress. Social media use was also not associated with higher levels of distress, nor did it predict loneliness when moderated by FOMO or needs satisfaction. Finally, loneliness was positively associated with distress

Fear of Missing Out, Social Media Abuse, and Parenting Styles

With the increasing rise in technology use, particularly engagement in social media, it is important for researchers to gain a better understanding of the usage patterns along with the antecedents and consequences of heavy social media usage. In addition to the rise in social media usage, a new anxiety driven phenomenon is storming the research world, FoMO (Fear of Missing Out). To date, there has been little empirical research on the relationship between social media usage and psychological adjustment. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between FoMO, social media abuse, and parenting styles. It is theorized that because FoMO is an anxiety-driven problem, it can lead individuals to the addiction or abuse of social media by engaging in safety behaviors that are similar to behaviors associated with abuse, dependence, or withdrawal, to the addiction. Previous research has shown a correlation between parenting styles and child social anxiety; therefore, it was theorized that parenting styles would be related to FoMO. Participants completed a 71-item questionnaire composed of six scales: FoMO, Social Media Engagement, Self-Esteem, Parenting Styles, and two Social Media Abuse scales. The questionnaire was deployed to middle school, high school, and college students (n = 661) with statistical evaluation of bivariate correlation and mean difference analyses to test study hypotheses. Results indicated that self-esteem was significantly negatively correlated with both FoMO and social media abuse, FoMO was significantly positively correlated with social media abuse, and neglectful parenting style had the highest mean value for self-reported FoMO