Jasmine Yi Xin Tang
Fear of missing out (FoMO) has become a ubiquitous phenomenon with the rapid growth of technologies. Although the term FoMO has proliferated into the vernacular and received frequent mentions in the popular media, there are inadequate FoMO studies in Asia, especially Malaysia. As FoMO was found to impact physical health and well-being negatively, it is important to study the contributing factors of FoMO. Therefore, this study investigated the relationships between perceived social support (PSS), interdependent self-construal, maximization, and FoMO through a correlational study using survey method. A total of 293 Malaysian young adults, aged 18 to 25, was recruited online using convenience sampling method to complete the Multidimensional Survey of Perceived Social Support scale, Self-Construal Scale, Maximization Scale, and Fear of Missing Out Scale. Results showed that interdependent self-construal and maximization positively correlated with FoMO, whereas PSS showed no significant relationship with FoMO. Maximization was the only variable that predicted FoMO. FoMO was discussed as a self-regulatory mechanism to satisfy the thwarted basic psychological needs. Besides satisfying the basic psychological needs, reduced social media usage was suggested as a FoMO alleviation mechanism as it reduces chances for social comparison that is prominent in both maximizers and salient interdependent self-construal individuals.