Office islands: exploring the uncharted waters of workplace loneliness, social media addiction, and the fear of missing out

Abstract

With adults feeling more isolated and socially disconnected than ever, the association between loneliness and other pathological behaviors has garnered increased attention. Although significant progress has been made in elucidating how loneliness exacerbates maladaptive behaviors like social media addiction (SMA) and the fear of missing out (FoMO), the mechanisms underpinning these relationships, especially in the workplace context, remain elusive. To bridge this knowledge gap, our study incorporates a sample of 381 Taiwanese employees to explore two key areas. First, we investigate the mediating role of workplace ostracism in the relationship between workplace loneliness and both SMA and FoMO. Secondly, we examine the potential moderating role of resilience in the direct and indirect correlations between workplace loneliness and both SMA and FoMO. Our mediation analysis reveals that workplace ostracism operates as a partial mediator in the relationship between workplace loneliness and both SMA and FoMO. Contrary to our expectations given the risk-buffering model, we discovered a positive moderating effect of resilience between (1) workplace loneliness and ostracism, (2) workplace ostracism with both SMA and FoMO, and (3) workplace loneliness with SMA, but not with FoMO. Collectively, these insights can guide the development of more targeted interventions and strategies to mitigate loneliness and related challenges in professional settings.