Combating Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) on Social Media: The FoMO-R Method

Alutaybi, Aarif; Al-Thani, Dena; McAlaney, John; Ali, Raian

doi:10.3390/ijerph17176128

Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Edit a Special Issue

Article Menu

...

Open AccessArticle

Combating Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) on Social Media: The FoMO-R Method

^1,*

²,

and

Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University, Fern Barrow, Poole BH12 5BB, UK

College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha PO Box 34110, Qatar

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(17), 6128; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17176128

Received: 23 July 2020 / Revised: 15 August 2020 / Accepted: 17 August 2020 / Published: 23 August 2020

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Wellness: Psychosocial and Physical Health in the Digital World)

View Full-Text Download PDF

Browse Figures

Citation Export

Abstract

Background: The fear of missing out (FoMO) on social media refers to the apprehension that online content and interactions from others are unseen and reacted to in a timely fashion. FoMO can become problematic, leading to anxiety, interrupted sleep, lack of concentration and dependence on social media to generate gratification. The literature has mainly focused on understanding the FoMO experience, factors contributing to it and its consequences. Method: In this paper, we build on previous research and develop a FoMO Reduction (FoMO-R) approach that embraces technical elements such as autoreply, filtering, status, education on how FoMO occurs and skills on how to deal with it; e.g., self-talk and checklists. We evaluate the method through focus groups and a diary study involving 30 participants who self-declared to experience FoMO regularly. Results: The results show that the method was accepted by the participants and helped them to manage their FoMO. They also show that a set of extra functionalities in social media design is needed so that users can manage FoMO more effectively. Conclusion: FoMO can be reduced through socio-technical approaches, joining both social and technical skills, and literacy on how social media are designed and how social interactions should happen on them. View Full-Text

Keywords: digital addiction; digital wellbeing; fear of missing out; FoMO

▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Supplementary Material

Supplementary File 1:
PDF-Document (PDF, 7267 KiB)

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Alutaybi, A.; Al-Thani, D.; McAlaney, J.; Ali, R. Combating Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) on Social Media: The FoMO-R Method. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 6128. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17176128

AMA Style

Alutaybi A, Al-Thani D, McAlaney J, Ali R. Combating Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) on Social Media: The FoMO-R Method. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17(17):6128. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17176128

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alutaybi, Aarif, Dena Al-Thani, John McAlaney, and Raian Ali. 2020. "Combating Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) on Social Media: The FoMO-R Method" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 17: 6128. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17176128

Find Other Styles

Note that from the first issue of 2016, MDPI journals use article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Abstract views Pdf views Html views

Article Menu

Combating Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) on Social Media: The FoMO-R Method

Abstract

Supplementary Material

Share and Cite

Article Metrics

Article Access Statistics

Article Access Map by Country/Region

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI