The Social Comparison Trap: Association between Fear of Missing out (Fomo) and Self-Esteem in College Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54536/ajhp.v2i1.2807Keywords:
FoMO, Self- Esteem, Social Comparison, StudentAbstract
Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) is an internalized belief that others may experience valuable events which one feels excluded. This study delves into the connection between Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) and self-esteem of students. Its objectives include understanding the demographic makeup, levels of FoMO, and self-esteem among students, and examining the correlation between FoMO and self-esteem. Validated scales were used to gauge FoMO and self-esteem, employing descriptive-correlational research design implemented. This study involved 350 students, offering insights into their experiences with FoMO and self-esteem. The results indicate that the students experience moderate levels of FoMO, both in private and social contexts, alongside moderate levels of self-esteem, with signs of disagreement in self-competence and self-liking. Spearman’s rho correlation analysis highlights a significant positive correlation between FoMO and self-esteem, suggesting that higher self-esteem may be associated with slightly greater FoMO experiences. The researchers recommend exploring potential mediating factors in the self-esteem and FoMO relationship, such as social media addiction or personality traits
References
Alabri, A. (2022). Fear of missing out (FOMO): the effects of the need to belong,perceived centrality, and fear of social exclusion. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 2022, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/4824256
Alutaybi, A., Al-Thani, D., McAlaney, J., & Ali, R. (2020). Combating Fear of missing out (FOMO) on social media: the FOMO-R Method. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (Online), 17(17), 6128. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17176128
Anugraheni, T. D., Izzah, L., & Hadi, M. S. (2023). Increasing the Students’ Speaking Ability through Role-Playing with Slovin’s Formula Sample Size. Jurnal Studi Guru Dan Pembelajaran, 6(3), 262–272. https://doi.org/10.30605/jsgp.6.3.2023.282
Buchanan, B. (2024, February 14). Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). NovoPsych. https://novopsych.com.au/assessments/well-being/rosenberg-self-esteem-scale-rses/?fbclid=IwAR1c4N-Ne0Wrxmi33uR93uEfKaGAU6Rl--dNHgee5seYKcdHw8AjRTVjPRI
Buglass, S. L., Binder, J. F., Betts, L. R., & Underwood, J. (2017). Motivators of online vulnerability: The impact of social network site use and FOMO. Computers in Human Behavior, 66, 248–255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.09.055
DataReportal. (2024). Digital 2024: The Philippines. DataReportal – Global Digital Insights.
Du, Y. (2023). Social Media: Exploring the Relationship between Social Media Experience and Self-esteem on Chinese Youth. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media, 3(1), 790–799. https://doi.org/10.54254/2753-7048/3/2022339
Fardouly, J., Diedrichs, P. C., Vartanian, L. R., & Halliwell, E. (2015). Social comparisons on social media: Examining the effects of Facebook on young women’s mood and body image. Body Image, 13, 38–45.
Fúster, H., Carbonell, X., Pontes, H. M., & Griffiths, M. D. (2016). Spanish validation of the Internet Gaming Disorder-20 (IGD-20) Test. Computers in Human Behavior, 56, 215–224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.11.050
Gupta, M., & Sharma, A. (2021). Fear of missing out: A brief overview of origin, theoretical underpinnings and relationship with mental health. World Journal of Clinical Cases, 9(19), 4881–4889. https://doi.org/10.12998/wjcc.v9.i19.4881
Hasan, N., Rana, R. U., Chowdhury, S., Dola, A. J., & Rony, M. K. K. (2021). Ethical considerations in research. Journal of Nursing Research Patient Safety and Practise, 11, 1–4. https://doi.org/10.55529/jnrpsp11.1.4
Hernandez, C. V., Reyes, R. J. A., Tejada, K. C. M., & De Luna, L. R. (2022). Fear of Missing Out, Social Media Engagement and Social Anxiety Among Filipino First Year College Students: A Mediation Analysis. Proceedings of the 2022 6th International Conference on Education and E- Learning. https://doi.org/10.1145/3578837.3578881
Hope, T. M. (2020). Linear regression. In Elsevier eBooks (pp. 67–81). https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-815739-8.00004-3
Joinson, A. (2008). Looking at, looking up or keeping up with people?: Motives and Use of Facebook. Proceeding of the twenty-sixth annual SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems. 1027-1036. https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/1357054.1357213
Lai, C., Altavilla, D., Ronconi, A., & Aceto, P. (2016). Fear of missing out (FOMO) is associated with activation of the right middle temporal gyrus during inclusion social cue. Computers in Human Behavior (Print), 61, 516–521. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.03.072
Maes, M. (2023). The influence of passive social networking site use on Self-Esteem: The Mediating Role of Upward Comparison and FOMO. https://studenttheses.uu.nl/handle/20.500.12932/44511
Mazlum, M. M., & Atalay, A. (2022). Developing the fear of missing out (FoMO) scale for Col students: The validity and reliability study. Journal of Pedagogical Research, 6. https://doi.org/10.33902/jpr.202215485
NapoleonCat. (2024). Social Media users in Philippines-March 2024. Retrieved from NapoleonCat: https://napoleoncat.com/stats/social-media- users-in-philippines/2024/03/
Noor, S., Tajik, O., & Golzar, J. (2022). Simple random sampling. www.ijels.net. https://doi.org/10.22034/ijels.2022.162982
Parveiz, S., Amjad, A., & Ayub, S. (2023). Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), Social Comparison and Social Media Addiction among Young Adults. Pakistan Journal of Applied Psychology, 3. 224-235. https://doi.org/10.52461/pjap.v3i1.1283
Pempek, T. A., Yermolayeva, Y. A., & Calvert, S. L. (2009). College students’ social networking experiences on Facebook. Journal of applied developmental psychology, 30(3), 227-238. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2008.12.010
Qutishat, M., & Sharour, L. A. (2019). Relationship between fear of missing out and academic performance among Omani University students: A Descriptive correlation study. Oman Medical Journal, 34(5), 404–411. https://doi.org/10.5001/omj.2019.75
Reyes, M. E. S., Buluran, C. a. D., Celicious, A. M. B., & Zsila, Á. (2023). Social Networking Sites Use and Self-Esteem among Filipino Young Adults: Does Social Comparison Mediate or Moderate this Association?. North American Journal of Psychology, 25(4), 697-716. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/375895617_Social_Networking_Site s_Use_and_Self- Esteem_among_Filipino_Young_Adults_Does_Social_Comparison_Mediate_or_Moderate_this_Association.
Ryszewska-Łabędzka, D., Tobis, S., Kropińska, S., Wieczorowska‐Tobis, K., & Talarska, D. (2022). The Association of Self-Esteem with the Level of Independent Functioning and the Primary Demographic Factors in Persons over 60 Years of Age. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(4), 1996. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19041996
Sa’id, M., & Dewi, D. C. S. (2022). Mindfulness and fear of missing out in final year undergraduate students. KnE Social Sciences. 7(18), 125–136. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v7i18.12382
Santos, I. L. S., Lima, D. C. N., Dias, E. V. A., Pessoa, T. E. G., Paiva, T. T., & Pimentel, C. E. (2023). Low Self-Esteem, high FOMO? The other side of the internet troll. Psychological Reports. https://doi.org/10.1177/00332941231183136
Schmitt, D. P., & Allik, J. (2005). Simultaneous Administration of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale in 53 nations: Exploring the universal and Culture-Specific features of global Self-Esteem. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 89(4), 623–642. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022- 3514.89.4.623
Schober, P., Boer, C., & Schwarte, L. A. (2018). Correlation Coefficients: appropriate use and interpretation. Anesthesia & Analgesia, 126(5), 1763–1768. https://doi.org/10.1213/ane.0000000000002864
Servidio, R., Soraci, P., Griffiths, M. D., Boca, S., & Demetrovics, Z. (2024). Fear of missing out and problematic social media use: A serial mediation model of social comparison and self-esteem. Addictive Behaviors Reports, 19, 100536. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.abrep.2024.100536
Statista. (2023). Internet usage in the Philippines - statistics & facts. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/topics/5660/internet-economy-in-the-philippines/
Torres-Serrano, M. (2020, May). Fear of missing out (FoMO) and Instagram use: Analysis of the relationships between narcisim and self-esteem. Aloma, 38(1), 31–38. https://doi.org/10.51698/aloma.2020.38.1.31-38
Vannucci, A., Flannery, K. M., & Ohannessian, C. M. (2012). Social media use and anxiety in emerging adults. Journal of Affective Disorders, 207, 163–166.
Yin, L., Wang, P., Nie, J., Guo, J., & Feng, J. (2019). Social networking sites addiction and FoMO: The mediating role of envy and the moderating role of need to belong. Current Psychology, 40(8), 3879–3887. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-019-00344-4
Zhang, Z., Jiménez, F. R., & Cicala, J. E. (2020). Fear Of Missing Out Scale: A self‐concept perspective. Psychology & Marketing, 37(11), 1619–1634. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21406
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Claudine Jade P. Abellana, Angela Marie H. Mendez, Gerlie Mae V. Subido, Claire Lynn Culajara
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
