Fear of Missing Out and Social Networking Site Usage Predictors of Problematic Internet Use among College Students

Internet over usage is problematic. With the proliferation of the smartphones, the number ofhours individuals spend on social media has significantly increased. The development of undesirable habitsand behaviors including virtual addictions are the consequences of the uncontrolled use of social media. Oneof such undesirable behaviors is Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) generated from extensive use of social medialeading to the overuse of smartphones and computers of the younger generation. This cross-sectional,predictive study assessed the level of Problematic Internet Usage (PIU) associated with FoMO and the usageof social networking sites (SNS). A total of 254 college students were randomly selected form universities and colleges in the regions of Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog, and Metro Manila, Philippines. Young’s Internet Addiction Test (IAT) Questionnaire, Przybylski’s FoMO scale, and Olufemi’s Social Networking Time Use Scale (SONTUS) were administered. The data analysis was done using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and regression analysis. The findings of the study showed that college students have moderate level of PIU and FoMO, whereas, their time spent on SNS is above average. PIU of college students is found to be associated and predicted by FoMO and SNS usage. Meanwhile, FoMO better predicts PIU compared to SNS use. The use of qualitative approaches such as phenomenological analysis and grounded theory is recommended for future studies to further explain the dynamics of relationship between variables.

Keywords –College students, fear of missing out, problematic internet usage, social media use, social networking sites.