In Study 3werecruited a sample of young adults to examine how fear of missing out related to emotional experiences of social media and key real-world behaviors. More specifically, this study examined the role FoMO plays in the lives of first-year university students .In addition to conceptually replicating the link between FoMO and social media engagement uncovered in Study 2,weevaluated three additional research questions .
Our first hypo thesis concerned the emotional correlates of fear of missing out. Accounts of FoMO suggest that it is characterized by am bivalent feelings regarding social media. As such, we predicted that those high in FoMO would report high levels of both positive affect and negative affect when using Facebook.
Second, we wanted to know if generally high levels of FoMO were associated with greater use of Facebook in educational settings. Given that wireless Internet is now ubiquitous in university lecture halls we suspected this presents a temptation for students. We hypothesized those high in FoMO are more likely to ‘‘tune out’’ of class and log into Facebook.
Finally, we were curious to know if those with high levels of FoMO are more likely to be driven to distraction. Smartphones and other wireless devices now allow social interactions (viaemail, text messages, and social media) to attract the attention of a driver. Given this new low bar for digital communication in the driver’s seat, we predicted those high in FoMO would be more likely to succumb to the temptation to split their attention .