Fear of missing out (FoMO) and rumination mediate relations between social anxiety and problematic Facebook use

Abstract

Introduction: Prior research has found that psychopathology constructs such as depression and anxiety are associated with problematic use of Facebook (PFU). In the present study, we examined a structural equation model whereby depression, social anxiety and lower life satisfaction predicted PFU severity, while analyzing mediating variables including rumination, fear of missing out (FoMO), and frequency of Facebook use, as well as age and gender as covariates. Method: Participants were 296 college students administered a web survey of instruments measuring these constructs. Results: Modeling results demonstrate that FoMO and rumination were significantly related to PFU severity. Facebook use frequency was related to PFU severity. FoMO and rumination each mediated relations between social anxiety and PFU severity. Conclusions: Results are discussed in the context of prior work on FoMO and excessive technology use, as well as several relevant theoretical frameworks. Keywords: Social networking site use, Problematic social networking site use, Fear of missing out, Rumination, Social anxiety