Risky Social Media Use, Fear of Missing Out, Psychological Distress, and Social Media Use Motivations: A Cross-Sectional Study

Motivations for Risky Social Media Use

Abstract

Objective: Risky social media use is related to fear of missing out (FoMO) and psychological distress, but the role of specific use motivations remains less clear. This study compares FoMO, psychological distress, and motivations for social media use between individuals with risky social media use and those without.
Methods: This cross-sectional online study included 349 adult social media users. Participants completed the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), FoMO, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21, and Social Media Use Motivations Scale. Risky social media use was defined as a BSMAS score of ≥19. Group comparisons and correlation analyses were conducted.
Results: Participants with risky social media use had higher FoMO, depression, anxiety, and stress scores, and higher scores on most motivation measures. Information-seeking motivation did not differ between groups and was not correlated with BSMAS scores.
CONCLUSION: Risky social media use was more closely related to FoMO, psychological distress, and social-emotional motives than to information seeking.