How Social Media Triggers Insecurities: Exploring Psychological Insecurities of Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) among Youth

Abstract

Aim of the Study: With its growing popularity, social media has raised concerns about its psychological impact, including the phenomenon of the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) in youth. The present research studies explore how social media behaviors affect FOMO and how the latter impacts psychological insecurities such as anxiety, sleep disturbance and compulsive social media use.

Methodology: A quantitative cross sectional research design was used. A structured online questionnaire was used and data were gathered from 173 youth aged 16–30 years, through stratified random sampling. It included 40 statements on four dimensions of social media behaviors, FOMO, and psychological insecurities. Analyses of the data were performed using SPSS descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, exploratory factor analysis, Pearson correlation, multiple regression and mediation analysis.

Findings: The results showed that FOMO was significantly explained by the usage of social media, the type of content consumed, the frequency of notifications and social media engagement. Of these, the greatest predictor was social media engagement. In addition, the FOMO had strong positive correlations with anxiety, sleep disturbance, and compulsive social media use, which further supported that FOMO is a significant psychological mechanism that connects social media behaviours with psychological insecurities.

Conclusion: The study concluded that the relation between behaviours of social media and insecurities among youth is mediated by the concept of FOMO. The results add to the digital psychology literature and highlight the significance of digital literacy, responsible use of social media, and interventions to mental health in the field of social media use to minimize the psychological risks of excessive social media use.