The Effects of the Fear of Missing Out on People's Social Networking Sites Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating Role of Online Relational Closeness and Individuals' Online Communication Attitude

Abstract

Forced isolation induced by COVID-19 pandemic dramatically impacted individuals' well-being, reducing the opportunities for social encounters, consequently resulting in a greater use of social media in order to maintain social relationships. Although the range of friend-related activities appeared to be severely constrained during quarantine, the Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) needs to be carefully examined, especially in relation to problematic social networking site use (PSNSU). Indeed, FoMO might enhance individuals' need to stay connected and communicate with other people, leading to PSNSU, in order to face the fear of being invisible in the world of social media in circumstances of physical isolation. The present study sought to evaluate the predictive role of FoMO on PSNSU during the COVID-19 pandemic, testing the mediating effect of online relational closeness and online communication attitude. A total of 487 Italian adults (59.3% women), aged between 18 and 70 years (mean age = 29.85 years; SD = 9.76), responded to an online survey during the period of COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Italy. The survey included self-report measures assessing perceived FoMO, online communication attitude, relational closeness with online friends, and PSNSU. Participants declared they spent significantly more time social networking during the pandemic, particularly women. The total model accounted for a significant amount of variance in participants' PSNSU [R2 = 0.54; F(9, 447) = 58.285, p < 0.001). Despite the other people's social rewarding experiences had been drastically reduced by the lockdown, findings showed a direct effect of FoMO on PSNSU. Moreover, FoMO had an effect on online communication attitude and online relational closeness, although only online communication attitude predicted, in turn, PSNSU. Conversely, relational closeness on social networking sites did not predict PSNSU. The present study suggests that, during COVID-19 lockdown, FoMO levels may have strengthened attitudes toward online communication, which, in turn, may have put some individuals at risk of PSNSU.

Is Watching TV Series an Adaptive Coping Strategy During the COVID-19 Pandemic? Insights From an Italian Community Sample

“…Moreover, differences and similarities between different cultural contexts might be also explored. Despite these limitations, the present findings hold important implications, not only for binge-watching research, but also for avoiding the over-pathologization and stigmatization of excessive online behaviors that may emerge as a result of specific distressing situations and that, as recently showed (14,20,73), might instead be effective although attentively addressed in some limited periods for sustaining temporary recovery from psychological distress.…”

“…Notably, the use of digital technology has been recommended, as it provides alternative forms of connection and entertainment in an unprecedented period of social distancing and lockdown even though the effects of social media consumption in this specific circumstance need to be carefully addressed (18,19), as recently showed (14,20). From the 1st weeks of pandemic, media companies reported an exponential growth in media consumption by different types of users among generations, especially highlighting an increasing search for updated information among young and middle-aged individuals (21).…”

The association between fear of Covid-19 and smartphone addiction among individuals: the mediating and moderating role of cyberchondria severity

“…Because, researches state that individuals are not very careful about whether the sharing about the virus is correct during pandemic periods and they carry out an intense sharing traffic about the epidemic (Bao et al, 2020 ; Garfin et al, 2020 ). In addition, those with high levels of anxiety (Brailovskaia & Margraf, 2021 ; Elhai et al, 2020a , b ), low tolerance for uncertainty (He et al, 2021 ), fear of missing out on developments related to the disease (Casale &Flett, 2020 ; Gioia et al, 2021 ) and individuals who feel high levels of loneliness (Gioia et al, 2021 ) are doing more research on the COVID-19 virus online and sharing more information online. The posts made to protect themselves, to follow the developments related to the pandemic, and to control health concerns started to get out of control after a while, and these posts in cyber environments started to cause individuals to increase their fear of COVID-19 (Jugmann et al, 2020 ).…”

Internet-related Behavior and Mind Wandering

“…Alternating activity to online and the obligation to always be connected by fear of missing out, notably in adolescents (Bloemen & De Coninck, 2020;Gioia et al, 2021). The tenacious online checking behavior ingrained in FOMO leads to compulsion.…”