"Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) and Its Impact: Exploring Relationships with Social Media Use, Psychological Well-being, and Academic Performance among University

Hala Abd Ellatif Elsayed^*

• Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Background:The widespread use of social media has intensified the Fear of Missing Out (FoMO), characterized by a heightened sensitivity to others' rewarding experiences. FoMO is believed to influence individuals’ psychological well-being and academic performance. This study examines these relationships among university students, who are particularly susceptible to social media influences.Objective:To explore the relationships among FoMO, social media use, life satisfaction (as a measure of psychological well-being), and academic performance (measured by GPA), and to examine the mediating and moderating roles of FoMO and social media use.Methods:A quantitative, correlational design was adopted, involving 521 Saudi university students. Participants completed the FoMO Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), a self-reported GPA item, and a customized social media use questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS through correlation, multiple regression, mediation, and moderation analyses.Results:FoMO showed a strong positive association with social media use (R² = 0.633, B = 0.834, p < 0.001), supporting the hypothesis that students with higher FoMO engage more with social media. Unexpectedly, FoMO was positively correlated with life satisfaction (R² = 0.064, B = 0.158, p < 0.001). Social media use was also positively associated with GPA (ρ = 0.765, p < 0.001). However, mediation analyses revealed that neither FoMO nor social media use significantly mediated the relationships between the key variables.Moderation results revealed that FoMO moderated the relationship between social media use and life satisfaction: the association was negative at low FoMO and positive at high FoMO. Social media use moderated the FoMO–GPA relationship, weakening its negative effect. Life satisfaction also moderated the FoMO–social media use relationship, intensifying the association at higher satisfaction levels.Conclusions:These findings suggest that FoMO's effects are shaped by cultural and psychological factors. While FoMO increases social media engagement, it may not always undermine well-being or academic outcomes. Understanding these nuanced dynamics requires moving beyond simple associations to consider interactive influences within specific cultural contexts.