Hyperconnected but.. forgotten: in social days, you get sick of FoMO

Journal title GRUPPI
Author/s Francesco Rizzo
Publishing Year 2019 Issue 2019/1
Language Italian Pages 14 P. 72-85 File size 200 KB
DOI 10.3280/GRU2019-001006
DOI is like a bar code for intellectual property: to have more infomation click here

Below, you can see the article first page

If you want to buy this article in PDF format, you can do it, following the instructions to buy download credits

Article preview

FrancoAngeli is member of Publishers International Linking Association, Inc (PILA), a not-for-profit association which run the CrossRef service enabling links to and from online scholarly content.

This article presents a reasoned review of the works produced on the "FoMO" phenomenon, starting from the date of the first scientific paper. FoMO stands for Fear of Missing Out. It is a specific form of social anxiety explained by the need to remain in contact with other people and the fear of being excluded from an event or social context. According to the definition of Andrew Przybylski, the first author to deal with FoMO, it is possible to define it as «a pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent (..) is characterized by the desire to stay continually connected with what others are do-ing» (Przybylski et al., 2013, p. 1). In the US, many efforts were done on FoMO, while the same cannot be said for the rest of the world. Nevertheless, this is a con-dition that we can be observed everywhere. This review aims at defining the field for future insights on the subject.

Keywords: FoMO, Anxiety, Social network, Loneliness.

  1. Al-Menayes J. (2016). The Fear of Missing Out Scale: Validation of the Arabic Version and Correlation with Social Media Addiction. Inter. J. of Applied Psychology, 6, 2: 41-46.
  2. Alt D. (2015). College Students’ Academic Motivation, Media Engagement and Fear of Missing Out. Computers in Human Behavior, 54, 8: 111-119.
  3. Ammaniti M. (2018). Adolescenti senza tempo. Milano: Raffaello Cortina.
  4. Aranda J. & Baig S. (2018). “Toward ‘JOMO’: The Joy of Missing Out and the Freedom of Disconnecting”. 20th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services. 3-6 settembre, Barcellona, Spagna.
  5. Balta E., Kagan E., Kircaburun M. & Griffiths D. (2018). Neuroticism, trait Fear of Missing Out, and Phubbing: The Mediating Role of State Fear of Missing Out and Problematic Instagram Use. Inter. J. of Mental Health and Addiction, 68, 13: 1-12.
  6. Scott H. & Woods H.C. (2018). Fear of Missing Out and Sleep: Cognitive Behavioral Factors in Adolescents’ Nighttime Social Media Use. J. of Adolescence, 68: 61-65.
  7. Beyens I., Frison E. & Eggermont S. (2016). “I don’t Want to Miss a Thing”: Adolescents’ Fear of Missing Out and its Relationship to Adolescents’ Social Needs, Facebook use, and Facebook Related Stress. Computer in Human Behavior, 64, 11: 1-8.
  8. Blackwell D., Leaman C., Tramposch R., Osborne C. & Liss M. (2017). Extraversion, Neuroticism, Attachment Style and Fear of Missing Out as Predictors of Social Media use and Addiction. Personality and Individual Differences, 116: 69-72.
  9. Buglass S., Binder J.F., Betts L.R. & Underwood J.D.M. (2017). Motivators of Online Vulnerability: The Impact of Social Network Site Use and FOMO. Computer in Human Behavior, 66, 1: 248-255.
  10. Deci E. & Ryan R. (1985). Intrinsic Motivation and Self-determination in Human Behaviour. New York: Plenum Press.
  11. Dhir A., Yossatom Y., Kaur P. & Chen S. (2018). Online Social Media Fatigue and Psychological Wellbeing – A Study of Compulsive use, Fear of Missing Out, Fatigue, Anxiety and Depression. Inter. J. of Information Management, 40, 3: 141-152.
  12. Elhai J.D., Levine J.C., Dvorak R.D. & Hall B.J. (2016). Fear of Missing Out, Need for Touch, Anxiety and Depression are Related to Problematic Smartphone Use. Computer in Human Behavior, 68, 10: 509-516.
  13. Freud S. (1915). L’inconscio. OSF, 8. Torino: Bollati Boringhieri.
  14. Gil F., Chamarro A. & Oberst U. (2015). PO-14: Addiction to Online Social Networks: a Question of “Fear of Missing Out”? J. of Behavioral Addictions, 4, S1: 51.
  15. Hetz P.R., Dawson C.L. & Cullen T.A. (2015). Social Media Use and the Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) while Studying Abroad. J. of Research on Technology in Education, 47, 4: 259-272. DOI: 10.1080/15391523.2015.108058
  16. Hodkinson C. (2019). “Fear of Missing Out” (FOMO) Marketing Appeals: A Conceptual Model. J. of Marketing Communications, 25, 1: 65-88. DOI: 10.1080/13527266.2016.123450
  17. Hunt M.G., Marx R., Lipson C. & Young J. (2018). No More FOMO: Limiting Social Media Decreases Loneliness and Depression. J. of Social and Clinical Psychology, 37, 10: 751-768.
  18. Lai C., Altavilla D., Ronconi A. & Aceto B. (2016). Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) is Associated with Activation of the Right Middle Temporal Gyrus during Inclusion Social Cue. Computers in Human Behavior, 66, 9: 516-521.
  19. Longo M. (2013). Esplorando il sottile confine tra reale e virtuale. In: Marzi A., a cura di, Psicoanalisi, Identità e Internet. Esplorazioni nel cyberspace. Milano: FrancoAngeli.
  20. Milyavskaya M., Saffran M., Hope N. & Koestner R. (2018). Fear of Missing Out: Prevalence, Dynamics, and Consequences of Experiencing FOMO. Motivation and Emotion, 42, 5: 725-737.
  21. Oberst U., Wegmann E., Stodt B., Brand M. & Chamarro A. (2017). Negative Consequences from Heavy Social Networking in Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Fear of Missing Out. J. of Adolescence, 55: 51-60.
  22. Przybylski A., Murayama K., DeHaan C.R. & Gladwell V. (2013). Motivational, Emotional and Behavioral Correlates of Fear of Missing Out. Computers in Human Behavior, 29, 4: 1814-1848.
  23. Riggi G. (2018). Se perdo l’interfaccia… In: Riggi G., Porceddu M. & Rizzo F., Perché non mi rispondi? Psicologia e psicopatologia dei contatti frequenti con il cellulare. Bologna: In.Edit.
  24. Riordan B.C., Flett J.A.M., Hunter J.A., Scarf D. & Conner T.S. (2015). Fear of Missing Out (FoMO): The Relationship between FoMO, Alcohol Use, and Alcohol-related Consequences in College Students. J. of Psychiatry and Brain Functions, 2, 1: 2-9. DOI: 10.7243/2055-3447-2-9
  25. Scabini E. e Iafrate R. (2003). Psicologia dei legami familiari. Bologna: Il Mulino.
  26. Upreti A. & Musalay P. (2018). Fear of Missing Out, Mobile Phone Dependancy and Entrapment in Undergraduate Students. In: Leung T. & Tan M., a cura di, Applied Psychology Readings. Singapore: Springer.
  27. Vegetti Finzi S. e Battistini A.M. (2000). L’età incerta. I nuovi adolescenti. Milano: Mondadori.
  28. Wegmann E., Oberst U., Stodt B. & Brand M. (2017). Online-specific Fear of Missing Out and Internet-use Expectancies Contribute to Symptoms of Internet-communication Disorder. Addictive Behaviors Report, 3, 5: 33-42.
  29. Wolniewicz C.A., Tiamiyu M.F., Weeks J.W. & Elhai J.D. (2018). Problematic Smartphone Use and Relations with Negative Affect, Fear of Missing Out, and Fear of Negative and Positive Evaluation. Psychiatry Research, 262: 218-223.

Francesco Rizzo, Iperconnessi e.. dimenticati: ai tempi dei social, ci si ammala di FoMO in "GRUPPI" 1/2019, pp 72-85, DOI: 10.3280/GRU2019-001006