The fear in desire: linking desire thinking and fear of missing out in the social media context

Abstract

According to the Elaborated Intrusion Theory of Desire, desire thinking and an associated deficit are fundamental factors to the emergence of craving. In the special case of problematic social networking sites (SNS) use, this experienced deficit could be constituted of an online-specific fear of missing out (FoMO). To test the interaction of these cognitions and their influence on problematic SNS use, we tested a serial mediation model on a sample of N = 193 individuals who use SNS (73% female, Mage = 28.3, SD = 9.29). We found that desire thinking predicted FoMO and both variables were only significant predictors of problematic SNS use when considered in interplay with craving. Ad hoc analyses revealed that the verbal subcomponent of desire thinking is more strongly associated with FoMO than imaginal prefiguration. Our results highlight that neither desire thinking nor FoMO are inherently dysfunctional but become problematic when they increase craving for potentially problematic SNS use.

The Application of the Metacognitive Model of Desire Thinking and Craving in Problematic Social Networking Sites Use

“…Craving related to Social Networks Sites use was assessed using the modified version of the 5-item Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS-SNSs) [ 63 ] as was previously done in the Italian context by Marino et al [ 48 ]. Participants are asked to respond on a 7-point Likert Scale investigating frequency, intensity, and strength of craving for Social Networks use.…”

“…The role of desire thinking in eliciting craving has been extensively studied for substance-related addictive behaviors, especially for Alcohol Use Disorder (e.g., [ 43 ]) and smoking behavior (e.g., [ 44 ]). More recently, research has enlightened the role of desire thinking in behavioral addictions such as gambling [ 45 ], problematic Internet use [ 46 ], problematic social media use [ 47 , 48 ] and problematic Facebook use [ 49 ], Internet Gaming Disorder [ 50 ], and problematic Internet pornography use [ 51 , 52 ]. To explain the escalation of DT and craving in addictive behaviors, Spada, Caselli, and Wells [ 40 , 41 , 53 , 54 ] have proposed a metacognitive model of desire thinking and craving.…”