Fear of missing out on social media: implications for private and professional lives

The “dark side” of social media use is a topic of vivid discourse in academia and mass media. Within this discourse, various negative effects, such as social media fatigue, addictive or compulsive use, and social media use-related sleep problems have garnered attention. The Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) is a particular dark side of social media phenomenon that has significant implications for diverse segments of social media users. In the past decade, since the operationalization of FoMO, scholars, especially those researching social media, have made continuing progress in understanding FoMO’s conceptual foundations as well as the capacities in which FoMO can influence the well-being of social media users. Despite the growing scholarly interest, research on FoMO is fragmented and features significant knowledge gaps, such as a limited understanding of its consequences and a lack of focus in prior studies beyond young adults and teenagers as a respondent group. These gaps need to be addressed as myriad mass media reports and academic studies have linked social media users’ experience of FoMO with indicators of diminished well-being, which in turn has implications for these users’ personal and professional lives. The aim of this dissertation is to investigate how FoMO, as a context-specific psychological trigger, predicates users’ experience of phenomena associated with the dark side of social media such as social media fatigue, compulsive social media use, and social media stalking. It further investigates the influence of such FoMOdriven experiences on individual users’ professional and personal lives. This dissertation examines FoMO within the social media environment and investigates theoretically grounded frameworks that illustrate the pathways through which FoMO may lead to negative consequences. The dissertation comprises five articles: one systematic literature review (Article I) and four quantitative studies (Articles II–V) developed based on the review findings. Following a systematic review of 58 empirical publications on FoMO, Article I provides foundational knowledge on FoMO’s known antecedents and consequences, indirect influencers (moderators and mediators), study contexts, conceptualization, and operationalization. The results are used to present an overarching framework and five key propositions for advancing research on FoMO. The findings of Articles II and III provide new insights into FoMO’s influence on the personal well-being of social media users. Discerning significant links between FoMO and the compulsive use of social media, online social comparison, social media stalking, and disruptions in sleep hygiene (i.e., sleep-related habits and routines), these articles argue that FoMO could culminate in social media users’ experiences of problematic sleep and social media fatigue. The findings also show that FoMO may have an amplification effect on the users’ dark side of social media experiences on these platforms, albeit through different manifestations among young adults and working professionals. Articles IV and V focus on FoMO-driven social media use in the workplace and the subsequent consequences. In doing so, this research empirically investigates employees, who are a relatively less-studied demographic in the FoMO research compared to young adults. The findings show that FoMO has the capacity to predict diminished work performance, work procrastination, phubbing (the problematic use of smartphones during social or workplace interactions), workplace exhaustion, and work incivility. Further, these articles show that individual characteristics, such as regulatory focus and social media envy, play an important role in users’ experiences of negative consequences. Collectively, the findings of this dissertation provide novel insights into the mechanisms through which FoMO can trigger the problematic use of technological platforms, such as social media and smartphones, and users’ engagement in activities that are intrinsically linked with the dark side of social media. The dissertation suggests that FoMO and the dark side of social media phenomena may indeed have a cyclical relationship wherein one may trigger another, causing a vicious loop. In addition to advancing the understanding of ways in which FoMO can negatively influence an individual’s life, the findings hint at its potential to indirectly, but positively, benefit individual performance in the workplace. In doing so, the dissertation creates new knowledge on the dual effects of FoMO. Cumulatively, the findings of this dissertation, particularly Article I, provide several avenues that scholars can pursue to further advance the frontier of knowledge on FoMO in particular and the dark side of social media in general. KEYWORDS: Fear of missing out, dark side of social media, compulsive use, phubbing, problematic sleep, work performanceSosiaalisen median ei-toivotut vaikutukset (sosiaalisen median pimeä puoli) palvelujen käyttäjille ovat viime vuosina olleet vilkkaan julkisen keskustelun ja akateemisen tutkimuksen kohteena. Aihepiirin tutkimus on tarkastellut mm. käyttäjien väsymystä sosiaalisen mediaan, riippuvuutta sosiaalista mediaa kohtaan, sosiaalisen median pakonomaista käyttöä, sekä sosiaalisen median käytön vaikutusta uneen. Paitsi jäämisen pelko (Fear of Missing Out, FoMO) on ilmiö sosiaalisen median pimeiden puolin kentässä, jolla on havaittu merkittäviä, tyypillisesti kielteisiä vaikutuksia palvelujen käyttäjiin. Lisääntyneestä tutkimuksesta huolimatta ymmärrys FoMO:sta on pirstaloitunutta. Tutkimuskirjallisuus on korostanut erityisesti tarvetta FoMo:n käsitteellis-teoreettisen taustan ymmärryksen vahvistamiselle ja tarvetta ymmärtää FoMO:n vaikutuksia sosiaalisen median palvelujen käyttäjien hyvinvoinnille. Tämän väitöstutkimuksen tavoitteena on osaltaan täyttää em. aukkoja aiemmassa tutkimuksessa tutkimalla FoMO:a kontekstisidonnaisena psykologisena laukaisevana tekijänä, jolla on vaikutuksia sosiaalisen median käyttäjiin niin yksityis- kuin työelämässäkin. Väitöskirja koostuu viidestä artikkelista: yhdestä systemaattisesta kirjallisuuskatsauksesta (Artikkeli I) ja neljästä kvantitatiivisesta kyselytutkimuksesta (Artikkelit II–V), jotka on kehitetty kirjallisuuskatsauksen tulosten perusteella. Artikkeli I perustuu 58 empiiriseen julkaisuun FoMO:sta ja tarjoaa perustiedot FoMO:on vaikuttavista tekijöistä ja seurauksista, epäsuorista vaikuttajista (moderaattorit ja välittävät muuttujat), tutkimuskonteksteista, käsitteellistämisestä ja operationalisoinnista. Tuloksia käytetään esittämään tutkimuksellinen viitekehys ja viisi keskeistä suuntaa FoMO:n tutkimuksen edistämiseksi. Artikkelien II ja III tulokset tarjoavat uusia näkökulmia FoMO:n vaikutukseen sosiaalisen median käyttäjien henkilökohtaiseen hyvinvointiin. Artikkeleissa havaitaan merkittäviä yhteyksiä FoMO:n ja sosiaalisen median pakonomaisen käytön, verkossa tapahtuvan sosiaalisen vertailun, sosiaalisessa mediassa tapahtuvan vainoamisen (stalking) ja unihygienian häiriöiden (eli unen laatuun vaikuttavien tapojen ja rutiinien) välillä. Artikkelit osoittavat, että FoMO voi johtaa sosiaalisen median käyttäjien kokemaan ongelmalliseen uneen ja väsymykseen sosiaalista mediaa kohtaan. Artikkelit IV ja V keskittyvät FoMO:n ajamaan sosiaalisen median käyttöön työpaikalla ja siihen liittyviin seurauksiin. Tulokset osoittavat, että FoMO voi ennustaa heikentynyttä työsuoritusta, työn viivyttelyä, puhelinten liiallista käyttöä sosiaalisissa tilanteissa tai työympäristössä (phubbing), työuupumusta ja epäkohteliasta käyttäytymistä työpaikalla. Lisäksi nämä artikkelit osoittivat yksilön ominaisuuksien tärkeän roolin käyttäjien kokemuksissa näistä negatiivisista seurauksista. Kokonaisuutena väitöstutkimukseen sisällytettyjen artikkeleiden tulokset tarjoavat uutta tietoa FoMO: on vaikuttavista tekijöitä ja sen seurauksista niin ihmisten yksityiselämässä kuin työkontekstissakin. Tulokset tarjoavat viitteitä FoMO:n ja sosiaalisen median pimeän puolen välisestä toisiaan vahvistavasta syklisestä suhteesta. Tulokset tarjoavat myös, osin yllättävästi, viitteitä, että paremmin tunnettujen kielteisten vaikutustensa lisäksi FoMO:lla voi olla myös positiivisia vaikutuksia yksilön suorituskykyyn työpaikalla. Väitöstutkimus tarjoaa kattavan viitekehyksen, jota erityisesti FoMO:n ja yleisemmin sosiaalisen median pimeän puolen tutkimuksessa. ASIASANAT: Paitsi jäämisen pelko, sosiaalisen median pimeä puoli, pakonomainen käyttö, phubbing, uniongelmat, suorituskyky töiss

Sleepless due to social media? Investigating problematic sleep due to social media and social media sleep hygiene

Emergent research suggests that “fear of missing out” (FoMO)-driven nocturnal use of social media may result in sleep disturbances and adversely influence quality of sleep. Previous research in this area primarily focused on adolescents. Therefore, knowledge of these occurrences in young adults is limited. This study addresses this knowledge gap by investigating the associations of FoMO, psychological well-being (anxiety, depression), compulsive social media use (CSMU), and sleep hygiene (habits that promote/inhibit sleep) with problematic sleep adults in both academic and employment settings. Cross-sectional surveys were conducted to collect data from two cohorts including (i) full-time students (N = 1398), and (ii) full-time working professionals (N = 472). Data were analyzed with structural equation modeling. The results indicated that psychological well-being influences CSMU, which in concurrence with sleep habits, influences the association between FoMO and problematic sleep. Significant differences existed in the strength of the association between CSMU and FoMO between the two cohorts. Interestingly, FoMO is more strongly associated with CSMU among working professionals. This study provides novel insights into the differential effects of CSMU and FoMO on sleep behaviors in young adult students versus working professionals.publishedVersio

Sleepless due to social media? Investigating problematic sleep due to social media and social media sleep hygiene

Emergent research suggests that “fear of missing out” (FoMO)-driven nocturnal use of social media may result in sleep disturbances and adversely influence quality of sleep. Previous research in this area primarily focused on adolescents. Therefore, knowledge of these occurrences in young adults is limited. This study addresses this knowledge gap by investigating the associations of FoMO, psychological well-being (anxiety, depression), compulsive social media use (CSMU), and sleep hygiene (habits that promote/inhibit sleep) with problematic sleep adults in both academic and employment settings. Cross-sectional surveys were conducted to collect data from two cohorts including (i) full-time students (N = 1398), and (ii) full-time working professionals (N = 472). Data were analyzed with structural equation modeling. The results indicated that psychological well-being influences CSMU, which in concurrence with sleep habits, influences the association between FoMO and problematic sleep. Significant differences existed in the strength of the association between CSMU and FoMO between the two cohorts. Interestingly, FoMO is more strongly associated with CSMU among working professionals. This study provides novel insights into the differential effects of CSMU and FoMO on sleep behaviors in young adult students versus working professionals.publishedVersio

Unmasking the bright–dark duality of social media use on psychological well-being : a large-scale longitudinal study

Purpose As the number of social media users continues to rise globally, a heated debate emerges on whether social media use improves or harms mental health, as well as the bidirectional relation between social media use and mental health. Motivated by this, the authors’ study adopts the stressor–strain–outcome model and social compensation hypothesis to disentangle the effect mechanism between social media use and psychological well-being. The purpose of this paper is to address this issue. Design/methodology/approach To empirically validate the proposed research model, a large-scale two-year longitudinal questionnaire survey on social media use was administered to a valid sample of 6,093 respondents recruited from a university in China. Structural equation modeling was employed for data analysis. Findings A longitudinal analysis reveals that social media use positively (negatively) impacts psychological well-being through the mediator of nomophobia (perceived social support) in a short period. However, social media use triggers more psychological unease, as well as more life satisfaction from a longitudinal perspective. Originality/value This study addresses the bidirectional relation between social media use and psychological unease. The current study also draws both theoretical and practical implications by unmasking the bright–dark duality of social media use on psychological well-being

A Proposed Model

Rocha-Penedo, R., Cruz-Jesus, F., & Oliveira, T. (2021). Opposite Outcomes of Social Media Use: A Proposed Model. In S. K. Sharma, Y. K. Dwivedi, B. Metri, & N. P. Rana (Eds.), Re-imagining Diffusion and Adoption of Information Technology and Systems: A Continuing Conversation - IFIP WG 8.6 International Conference on Transfer and Diffusion of IT, TDIT 2020, Proceedings (pp. 524-537). (IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology; Vol. 618). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64861-9_46Social media are probably one of the most influential and disruptive technology of the present times. It is ubiquitous and has the capability to influence virtually every aspect of one’s life while, at the same time, also influence the way firms and public organizations operate and communicate with individuals. Although there is a plethora of studies in the IS literature focused on SM adoption and outcomes, studies hypothesizing positive and negative outcomes together are scarce. We propose a comprehensive research model to shed light on SM positive and negative outcomes, and how these affect one’s happiness. We also explore how personality traits can influence these relationships.authorsversionpublishe

Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on the social media usage among different age groups in Hyderabad, India: A questionnaire-based community Study

The emergence and rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 across the globe has caused a state of panic and chaos. Self-quarantine and lockdowns have been implemented in many countries leaving the public homebound. On one hand social media being a prime source of information, it could have a substantial contribution in causing unnecessary apprehension and fear in the public due to the speculations and misinformation, while on the other hand the unexpected event of lockdown resulted in a spurt of social media usage. The adverse effect of social media on psychological well-being, academic performance, socializing skills, interpersonal relationship and parenting were recorded by a number of studies in the past. It is imperative to be mindful of the content being watched and the time spent on social media. The study aims to understand the variation in social media usage in different age groups in the people of Hyderabad, India due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey was conducted through a questionnaire that was created using Google forms. The study shows that the social media usage has significantly increased in the people of Hyderabad, India during the COVID-19 lockdown. The data shows a correlation between the age groups and variation in social media usage. The increased social media usage is more in the younger age groups below 25 years. The study proves no impact of social media usage on productivity during the quarantin

Social Media Usage Among Post-graduate Students of Kashmir university and relationships between social media use and factors relating to depression

COVID-19 and the resulting stay-at-home orders have changed just about everything, including our relationship with the internet, how often we use it and how we use it. For instance, in India 87 % people reported increase in its usage with 75 % spending increasing amount of time on Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp (Business Today, March 30, 2020 ). This study examined the use of social media PG Students of Kashmir university . The main objectives of the study are to find out the reasons why PG Students use social media, to identify students’ perception of social media, and to find out the frequency of social media usage. The study used a questionnaire in order to discover the use of SNS. An online survey was distributed using Google Forms via different social media platforms and official emails. Total response collected for the study was 1255

Social Media Addiction and Fear of Missing Out: The Moderating Effect of Smartphone Ease of Access

The development of social media addiction has become a phenomenon creating a potential public health crisis. While research has found correlations between the development of social media addiction and rising levels of fear of missing out, there is limited research surrounding the influence of smartphone ease of access. This study examined the moderating effects of smartphone ease of access to social media platforms and assessed appropriate treatment interventions. This study used an experimental within-subject design with 641 participants, ages 19-32 years. Part I of this study measured the participants’ levels of smartphone addiction, fear of missing out, and social media addiction at the initiation of the study. In Part II, 189 participants were asked to deactivate social media applications on their smartphones for two weeks and limit desktop usage to two days per week, no more than one hour each day. Variables were measured again at the conclusion of the two weeks. The results reflected that the relationship between fear of missing out and social media addiction was significantly moderated by smartphone addiction and revealed a significant difference in the mean scores for both instruments measuring fear of missing out, FOMO, and social media addiction, BSMAS. The results revealed a slight increase in the mean scores for FOMO and BSMAS, which may indicate the need for a longer period of abstinence for smartphone social media use to reduce the levels of FOMO and BSMAS

Fear of missing out (FoMO) among social media users: a systematic literature review, synthesis and framework for future research

Purpose – Research examining the “fear of missing out” (FoMO) is increasingly prominent, with a growing number of studies exploring this phenomenon. Despite the increased academic interest, no attempts have been made to synthesize extant knowledge on FoMO. There is limited holistic understanding of its conceptualization and operationalization. To address this gap, an exhaustive systematic literature review (SLR) on FoMO is presented. Design/methodology/approach – Systematic review protocols and content analysis was used to analyze and synthesize insights from 58 empirical studies obtained from four academic databases: Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed and PsycINFO. Findings – Significant diversity in prior research on FoMO was encapsulated in four themes. There are significant limitations in conceptualization of FoMO, along with narrow focus on geographic, methodological and contextual foci of prior studies. The authors propose a comprehensive framework and extensive gap-specific research directions to aid future research. Research limitations/implications – The SLR is limited in its consideration of empirical studies published in academic journal articles obtained from four databases. Social implications – The authors imply the critical need to ascertain motives for individuals’ excessive engagement with social media and the subsequent impact on well-being indicators (e.g. sleep quality) and functional impairments (e.g. addiction).publishedVersio

ADOLESCENTS’ INVOLVEMENT IN SOCIAL MEDIA: BEFORE AND DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Social media are an indispensable modern adolescents’ daily ritual. The present study investigates the specifics of social media influence on the adolescents’ psychological wellbeing in everyday life and during Covid-19. The research hypothesis stated that excessive social media use could provide loneliness, depression, and lack of sleep. The investigation is based on data received from interviews, questionnaires, and statistical analysis. A group of 516 psychology and medical students (78.8% females, 21.2% males) aged 15-21 took part in the study via Google Form survey conducted in Odesa I.I. Mechnikov National University, Ukraine. The participants’ overall well-being, loneliness, level of stress were assessed in correlation with personality characteristics and tendency to social media disorder. The obtained results showed that the more time adolescents spend on social media, the more real-life relationships decrease due to online isolation in social terms. The predictors of social media disorder are difficulties in relationships with family, time spent on social media and psycho-emotional background. It is determined that the social media use creates the illusion of participation and importance for a large circle of people. The study provides evidence that the unsatisfactory level of modern adolescents’ well-being can be explained by the passive use of social media, which provokes emotional lability, irritability, depression, and sleep deprivation.Social media are an indispensable modern adolescents’ daily ritual. The present study investigates the specifics of social media influence on the adolescents’ psychological wellbeing in everyday life and during Covid-19. The research hypothesis stated that excessive social media use could provide loneliness, depression, and lack of sleep. The investigation is based on data received from interviews, questionnaires, and statistical analysis. A group of 516 psychology and medical students (78.8% females, 21.2% males) aged 15-21 took part in the study via Google Form survey conducted in Odesa I.I. Mechnikov National University, Ukraine. The participants’ overall well-being, loneliness, level of stress were assessed in correlation with personality characteristics and tendency to social media disorder. The obtained results showed that the more time adolescents spend on social media, the more real-life relationships decrease due to online isolation in social terms. The predictors of social media disorder are difficulties in relationships with family, time spent on social media and psycho-emotional background. It is determined that the social media use creates the illusion of participation and importance for a large circle of people. The study provides evidence that the unsatisfactory level of modern adolescents’ well-being can be explained by the passive use of social media, which provokes emotional lability, irritability, depression, and sleep deprivation