Investigation of the fear of missing out and the connection between academic motivation, perceived Stress, and social media use

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the fear of missing out, perceived stress, academic motivation, and social media use. Fear of missing out (FOMO) is defined as the desire to stay continually connected with what others are doing (Przybylski, Murayama, Dehaan & Gladwell, 2013). A sample of 200 participants completed an online survey consisting of the Fear of Missing Out Scale, Academic Motivation Scale College Version, the Perceived Stress Scale, the Social Media Disorder Scale, and demographic questions. Correlations were run in order to find out which variables had a relationship with the fear of missing out. Results indicated that there was a significant positive relationship between FOMO and perceived stress, and FOMO and social media use. Limitations related to the present study are presented as are recommendations for future research related to the fear of missing out.