Fear of Missing Out as a Predictor of Problematic Social Media Use and Phubbing Behavior Among Flemish Adolescents

Vittoria Franchina, Antonius J. Van Rooij, Gianluca Lo Coco, Lieven De Marez, Mariek M. P. Vanden Abeele

    Research output: Contribution to journalMeeting AbstractOther research output

    Abstract

    Objectives: Fear-of-missing-out (FOMO) refers to feelings of anxiety that arise from the
    realization that you may be missing out on rewarding experiences that others are having.
    Behavioral addiction researcher believe that FOMO is one process that may underlie problematic social media use (PSMU). This study explores the relationships between FOMO,
    the depth and breadth of social media use, the type of social media platform used, PSMU
    and phubbing behavior. Methods: An online survey was administered to 2663 school pupils.
    FOMO was measured using 4 items from Przybylski et al.’s (2013) FOMO-scale. PSMU was
    assessed using an adapted version of the C-VAT instrument; scale based on the CIUS-scale.

    Results: In line with our expectations, FOMO was a positive predictor of both the frequency
    (‘depth’) of teenagers’ social media use and the number of platforms (‘breadth’) that they
    use. FOMO was a stronger predictor of social media platforms that are less publicly accessible (e.g., Facebook, Snapchat) than platforms that are more public in nature (e.g., Twitter,
    Youtube). Moreover, FOMO is an important predictor of both PSMU and phubbing behavior.
    Conclusions: These findings support extant research that points toward FOMO as key driver
    for teenager’s social media use.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)71-71
    Number of pages1
    JournalJournal of Behavioral Addictions
    Volume7
    Issue numberS1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Apr 2018

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