Antecedents and consequences of FoMO for neuroticism, openness and social influence: Investigating the moderating effect.

Fear of Missing Out (FoMO), fueled by the fear that missing out on something will negatively affect one's happiness, is directly related to the social environment. This study examines the antecedents and consequences of FoMO. We also examined the moderating effect of others' social media statuses or stories checking frequency (OSMSSCF) on the relationship of social learning-social proof (SL-SP) and social comparison (SC) with FoMO openness significantly predicted SC and SL-SP. While neuroticism significantly predicted SL-SP, it did not significantly predict SC. Moreover, SC and SL-SP significantly predicted FoMO. We also found that neuroticism and openness were significant predictors of FoMO. On the other hand, OSMSSCF moderated the prediction of FoMO through SC. These findings suggest that neuroticism and openness increase FoMO levels by increasing individuals' susceptibility to SI. • Personality traits neuroticism and openness were significant predictors of FoMO. • Social comparison (SC) and social learning-social proof predicted FoMO. • Higher FoMO levels led to increased social media control frequencies. • Checking others' social media activities moderated predicting FoMO by SC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]