Still Logged in? The Link Between Facebook Addiction, FoMO, Self-Esteem, Life Satisfaction and Loneliness in Social Media Users

Abstract

Studies to date have shown that fear of missing out (FoMO) is related to the lack of fulfilling one's psychological needs. Moreover, it affects one's involvement in social media. The objective of this study was to assess the links between satisfaction with life (the Satisfaction with Life Scale), self-esteem (the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale), loneliness (the de Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale), FoMO (the Fear of Missing Out Scale) and Facebook addiction (the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale). The study involved 309 individuals aged 18-70 (M = 25.11, SD = 5.86). The results of analyses carried out using structural equation modeling have revealed that FoMO combines deficits in mental well-being with addiction to Facebook. The presented results are discussed also in the context of the intermediary role of self-esteem in the link between life satisfaction and loneliness versus FoMO.