Being Caught in Social Networks; “Are They Having Fun Without Me?”

Being Caught in Social Networks; “Are They Having Fun Without Me?”
Prof. Dr. Cüneyt Evren
In today’s world, individuals can spend most of their time sharing information on social networks, following the popular topics, updating their own ‘’status’’ and interacting with those of their friends. This continuous updating and following behavior fed by social networks has led to the emergence of a new concept called the fear of missing out (FoMO) (Evren 2021).
FoMO is defined as “a pervasive concern that others have a rewarding experience that they cannot have” and “a desire to stay in constant connection with what others are doing” (Przybylski et al. 2013). On the other hand, FoMO is also defined as an individual's anxiety about missing out on rewarding experiences on social networks (Przybylski et al. 2013). FoMO is a type of social anxiety arising from the concern that others may have more fulfilling lives than themselves (Can and Satici 2019).
FoMO has been associated with variables such as social media addiction, stress level while using social networking sites, cell phone use while driving/learning, social media fatigue, decreased self-esteem, poor sleep, non-adherence to university education, smartphone addiction, neuroticism, depression and anxiety (Can & Satici 2019, Evren 2021, Przybylski et al. 2013).
The inability of users to update their own accounts with new content and interact with what their friends are doing in social networks disturbs individuals with FoMO severely (Przybylski et al. 2013). Individuals with FoMO report that they always feel lonely in their lives other than the time they spend on social networks, and they try to complete the love and compassion that they lack in their relationships in normal life by sharing and spreading information. For these reasons, participation in social networks can be particularly attractive for those with FoMO (Evren 2021). FoMO is considered as the driving force behind the increase in the use of social networks (Przybylski et al. 2013). FoMO levels are higher in young people, especially young men. FoMO reduces overall life satisfaction and individuals with FoMO deepen their loneliness by preferring the excessive use of these social networks, which caused them to be more isolated individuals from the society in the first place, to face-to-face communication.
References
Can G, Satici  SA (2019) Adaptation of fear of missing out scale (FoMOs): Turkish version validity and reliability study. Psicol Reflex Crit 32:3
Evren C.  Sosyal Ağlara Yakalanma; “Bensiz Eğleniyorlar mı?” Editörler: Evren C, Altınbaş K, Pırıldar Ş, Binbay T.  Psikiyatri Günlüğü 3. Yerküre Tanıtım ve Yayıncılık Hizmetleri A.Ş., İstanbul Nisan 2021, s: 35-38.
Przybylski AK, Murayama K, DeHaan CR, Gladwell V (2013) Motivational, emotional, and behavioral correlates of fear of missing out. Comput Hum Behav 29:1841–1848.