Fear of missing out (FoMO) and internet use: A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background and aims FoMO has been considered a predisposing factor toward excessive internet use, and a great deal of literature has investigated the link between FoMO and internet use. However, there is still a lack of cohesion in the literature. Methods The current study have been conducted and reported in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Results In the current systematic review and meta-analysis of 86 effect-sizes, representative of 55,134 participants (Mean age = 22.07, SD = 6.15, females = 58.37%), we found that the strength of the trait FoMO- internet use association significantly varies from r = 0.11 to r = 0.63. In some populations, FoMO appears to increase with age and it is reverse in other populations. Facebook use was unrelated to FoMO in some populations, and higher FoMO was linked with stopping Instagram use for some individuals. The FoMO- internet use association was independent of their severity, as the interaction was not significant, and this association was neither linear nor curvilinear. The FoMO-internet use association does not appear to be associated with depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms or level of life satisfaction. The COVID-19 pandemic was the only significant moderator of the FoMO-internet use association, strengthening this relationship. Discussion and Conclusions FoMO demonstrates a considerable role in internet use; however, there is no evidence of interaction or bi-directional association between the mentioned. Overall, we still don’t know what factors contribute to individuals exhibiting distinct patterns in the FoMO-internet use association.

The relations between different components of intolerance of uncertainty and symptoms of depression during the COVID-19 pandemic: A network analysis

“…It should be noted that this is only a hypothesis, which needs to be tested experimentally and clinically. From the standpoint of concept, people are more likely to fear missing out and tend to get more information about the pandemic due to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic (58). However, it is almost impossible to obtain all the information about the COVID-9 pandemic.…”

Fear of missing out (FOMO) associates with reduced cortical thickness in core regions of the posterior default mode network and higher levels of problematic smartphone and social media use

“…Individual variations in the trait-like characteristic FOMO (Akbari et al, 2021; Elhai et al, 2021) were assessed using the validated FOMOs developed by Przybylski et al, which has a demonstrated high sensitivity and reliability (Przybylski et al 2013). The scale presents 10 items scored on a five-point Likert-type scale ranging from ‘Not at all true of me’ to ‘Extremely true of me’.…”

“…Research on FOMO – often conceptualized as a rather stable trait-like characteristic (Wegmann, Oberst, Stodt, & Brand, 2017) – has rocketed in the context of growing concerns about excessive and potentially addictive social media and smartphone use (reviews see e.g. Elhai et al, 2021; Akbari et al, 2021). Accumulating evidence from different lines of research suggests an association between dispositional FOMO and problematic Internet use - in particular in the domains of social media and smartphone use - as well as associated emotional dysregulations and detrimental effects on daily life (Röttinger et al, 2021; Akbari et al, 2021; Rozgonjuk, Sindermann, Elhai, & Montag, 2020; Elhai, Yang, Rozgonjuk, & Montag, 2020; Yuan, Elhai, & Hall, 2021).…”

“…Accumulating evidence from different lines of research suggests an association between dispositional FOMO and problematic Internet use - in particular in the domains of social media and smartphone use - as well as associated emotional dysregulations and detrimental effects on daily life (Röttinger et al, 2021; Akbari et al, 2021; Rozgonjuk, Sindermann, Elhai, & Montag, 2020; Elhai, Yang, Rozgonjuk, & Montag, 2020; Yuan, Elhai, & Hall, 2021). Current conceptualizations propose that FOMO represents a general trait-like predisposition rendering individuals at an increased risk for excessive and problematic social media engagement and ultimately the development and maintenance of Internet Use Disorders (Akbari et al, 2021; Elhai et al, 2021; Röttinger et al, 2021). For associations between FOMO and age, gender and the Big Five of Personality see (Rozgonjuk, Sindermann, Elhai, & Montag, 2021)…”

TV-Therapy: A Preliminary Theoretical Framework

“…in Central Europe, dominated by small talks and hollow conversation, marked by nearly obsessive-compulsive avoidance of responsibility and commitment, followed by an era of-mostly completely dispensable-pseudo-organizational communication on smartphone screens: particularly younger people exhibit symptoms of smartphone addiction paired with social isolation (Tateno et al, 2019) alongside nomophobia (Notara et al, 2021), athazagoraphobia, i.e. the fear of being forgotten, and FoMO (Akbari et al, 2021), the fear of missing out. Self-images and self-values are externalized and thus uncontrollable and fragile, while the soul is arid and empty.…”