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Published on: August 25, 2023
Fear of missing out and problematic social media use: A serial mediation model of social comparison and self-esteem
Rocco Servidio1, Paolo Soraci2, Mark D Griffiths3
1Department of Culture, Education and Society, University of Calabria, Via Pietro Bucci, Building Cube 20/B, 87036 Arcavacata di Rende, Cosenza, Italy.
Background And Aim:
Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) is consistently associated with problematic social media use (PSMU). Moreover, previous studies have shown a significant association between FoMO, self-esteem, and social comparison. However, there is a lack of studies that have investigated the relationship between, FoMO, social comparison, self-esteem, and PSMU in an integrated model. The present study hypothesized that FoMO may influence PSMU through the serial mediating role of social comparison and self-esteem.
Method:
A cross-sectional survey study was conducted comprising 256 Italian university students (74.4% female), aged 18 to 38 years (M = 23.05 years; SD = 3.58). The participants completed an online survey assessing the variables of the study.
Results:
Controlling for age and gender, the results showed positive associations between FoMO, social comparison, and PSMU, and a negative association between FoMO and self-esteem. Self-esteem was also negatively associated with PSMU. It was also found that social comparison and self-esteem sequentially mediated the association between FoMO and PSMU.
Conclusions:
The present study contributes to understanding the mechanisms that underline the complex effects of FoMO on PSMU.
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