Fear Of Missing Out Scale: A self‐concept perspective

Abstract

Fear of missing out (FOMO) is an emerging topic in consumer psychology. However, the theoretical foundations of FOMO are underdeveloped and extant FOMO scales confine the construct to the context of social media. Without a theoretical foundation and a new FOMO scale, the future development of research on this promising phenomenon is limited. This article provides a new conceptualization of FOMO and a new FOMO scale. Using self‐concept theory, the authors propose that FOMO is an emotional response to perceived psychological threats to one's self‐concept. Because the self‐concept involves a private and a public self, FOMO involves two dimensions: a personal FOMO and a social FOMO. Accordingly, a new scale was developed. The results of four studies support the validity and reliability of the two‐dimensional scale. This new conceptualization and scale will enable consumer researchers to examine FOMO in a broader set of contexts, test the relationship between FOMO and related constructs, and develop a nomological network around the construct.

The Impact of Scarcity of Medical Protective Products on Chinese Consumers’ Impulsive Purchasing during the COVID-19 Epidemic in China

“…thus, they rushed to buy them [63,64]. This view is supported by Zhang et al [56], who found the effect of perceived scarcity on choice mediated by FOMO.…”

“…Generally, fear of missing out (FOMO) is described as an emotion [54][55][56]. It is the consumer's anxiety about missing a chance or experience that others are having [1,57].…”

How scarcity and thinking styles boost referral effectiveness

“…In addition to deriving satisfaction from feeling unique and special (Snyder, 1992), consuming scarce products may also help consumers to gain social status (Gierl & Hüttl, 2010) and appeal to their desire for exclusivity and power (Kim, 2018). Scarcity also elicits a fear of missing out (FOMO)-an uneasy feeling associated with being socially excluded from desired experiences (Zhang et al, 2020). Missing out on consumption experiences can therefore become a threat to the self-concept (Zhang et al, 2020).…”

Validation and Psychometric Properties of the Chinese Version of the Fear of Missing Out Scale

“…Subsequently, Alt (2015) [8], based on Przybylski's FoMO scale, developed a 10-item FoMO scale consisting of three dimensions (i.e., social media engagement, news information engagement, and commercial information engagement). More recently, Zhang et al (2020) [9] developed of 10 an 8-item scale consisting of two dimensions (i.e., personal and social FoMO). To measure some specific kinds of FoMO, Wegmann et al (2017) [10] developed a 12-item and twodimensional scale, assessing trait-FoMO and state-FoMO.…”