Journals / Elektronik Eğitim Bilimleri Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 15 Sayı: 29

The New Anxiety of Digital Age: Fear of Missing Out (FoMO)

Dijital Çağın Yeni Kaygısı: Günceli Kaçırma Korkusu (FoMO)

Ali Rıza Yavrutürk(T.C. MİLLİ EĞİTİM BAKANLIĞI)0000-0002-6724-6019
Pages
106–125
Publication Date
2026-04-28
🏛️Bibliographic metadata and full text access for this article are provided via DergiPark.
DergiPark Record ↗
✨

AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

A number of recommendations are presented based on the findings and discussed.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:This study examines the new anxiety of the digital age: the fear of missing out.
📊
Key Findings & Data:The proliferation and constant accessibility of social media, the individual's need for approval and comparison by others, the influence of popular culture and media, competitive social environments, and psychological tendencies play significant roles in the emergence of FoMO.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:A number of recommendations are presented based on the findings and discussed.
🔬Design:Derleme
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Dijital çağ · Günceli kaçırma korkusu · Kaygı

Abstract

This study examines the new anxiety of the digital age: the fear of missing out. Considered one of the most striking psychological phenomena of the digital age, FoMO (Fear of Missing Out) refers to a type of anxiety associated with individuals experiencing the "fear of missing out" through social media and digital platforms. As social media users witness the activities, achievements, or social experiences of others, they tend to compare their own lives to these idealized standards, which can result in feelings of inadequacy, inadequacy, and social exclusion. The proliferation and constant accessibility of social media, the individual's need for approval and comparison by others, the influence of popular culture and media, competitive social environments, and psychological tendencies play significant roles in the emergence of FoMO. This form of anxiety not only causes momentary discomfort in individuals but can also lead to long-term psychological and functional problems such as anxiety disorders, depression, low self-esteem, social anxiety, addictive and obsessive behaviors, sleep disorders, chronic stress, burnout, attention deficit, and time management difficulties. FoMO is fueled by the constant need to be online and the fear of missing out. Therefore, digital detox practices, mindfulness techniques, limiting social media use, and digital awareness programs stand out as effective strategies for reducing the effects of this anxiety. A balanced and conscious online lifestyle is considered an important approach to alleviating the psychological burden of FoMO and increasing individuals' life satisfaction. A number of recommendations are presented based on the findings and discussed.

Özet

Bu çalışma dijital çağın yeni kaygısı günceli kaçırma korkusunu incelemektedir. Dijital çağın en dikkat çekici psikolojik olgularından biri olarak kabul edilen FoMO (Fear of Missing Out), bireylerin sosyal medya ve dijital platformlar aracılığıyla ‘‘günceli kaçırma korkusu’’ yaşamasıyla bağlantılı bir kaygı türünü ifade eder. Sosyal medya kullanıcıları, başkalarının yaşamlarındaki etkinliklere, başarılarına veya sosyal deneyimlere tanıklık ettikçe, kendi yaşamlarını bu idealize edilmiş standartlarla kıyaslama eğilimi gösterir ve bu durum eksiklik, yetersizlik ve sosyal dışlanma hissi ile sonuçlanabilir. FoMO’nun ortaya çıkmasında, sosyal medyanın yaygınlaşması ve sürekli erişilebilirliği, bireyin başkaları tarafından onaylanma ve kıyaslanma ihtiyacı, popüler kültürün ve medyanın etkisi, rekabetçi sosyal çevreler ile psikolojik eğilimler önemli rol oynamaktadır. Bu kaygı biçimi, bireylerde yalnızca anlık huzursuzluk yaratmakla kalmayıp, uzun vadede kaygı bozuklukları, depresyon, düşük özgüven, sosyal kaygı, bağımlılık ve takıntılı davranışlar, uyku bozuklukları, kronik stres, tükenmişlik, dikkat eksikliği ve zaman yönetimi sorunları gibi psikolojik ve işlevsel problemlere de yol açabilmektedir. FoMO, sürekli çevrim içi olma ihtiyacı ve günceli kaçırma korkusu ile beslenmektedir. Bu nedenle dijital detoks uygulamaları, mindfulness teknikleri, sosyal medya kullanımının sınırlandırılması ve dijital farkındalık çalışmaları, bu kaygının etkilerini azaltmada etkili stratejiler olarak öne çıkmaktadır. Dengeli ve bilinçli bir çevrim içi yaşam tarzı, FoMO’nun psikolojik yükünü hafifletmek ve bireylerin yaşam memnuniyetini artırmak açısından önemli bir yaklaşım olarak değerlendirilmektedir. Elde edilen bulgular ışığında tartışılarak bir takım önerilerde bulunulmuştur.

🔖

Cite This Article

Yavrutürk, A. R. (2026). The New Anxiety of Digital Age: Fear of Missing Out (FoMO). Elektronik Eğitim Bilimleri Dergisi, Cilt: 15 Sayı: 29, 106–125. https://doi.org/10.55605/ejedus.1784582

📄 Full Text PDF Viewer

📄

PDF görüntüleyici hazırlanıyor...

References (68)

  1. Al-Furaih, S. A. & Al-Awidi, H. M. (2021). Fear of missing out (FoMO) among undergraduate students in relation to attention distraction and learning disengagement in lectures. Education and Information Technologies, 26(2), 2355–2373.
  2. Alt, D. & Boniel-Nissim, M. (2018). Parent–Adolescent communication and problematic internet use: The mediating role of fear of missing out (FoMO), Journal of Family Issues, 39(13), 3391-3409. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X18783493
  3. Alt, D. & Boniel-Nissim, M. (2018). Links between adolescents’ deep and surface learning approaches, problematic internet use, and fear of missing out (FoMO), Internet Interventions, 13, 30-39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2018.05.002
  4. Arslan, H., Tozkoparan, S. B. & Kurt, A. A. (2019). Öğretmenlerde mobil telefon yoksunluğu korkusunun ve gelişmeleri kaçırma korkusunun incelenmesi. Erzincan Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 21(3), 237-256. https://doi.org/10.17556/erziefd.512074
  5. Aydin, D., Selvi, Y., Kandeger, A. & Boysan, M. (2021). The relationship of consumers’ compulsive buying behavior with biological rhythm, impulsivity, and fear of missing out. Biological Rhythm Research, 52(10), 1514-1522. https://doi.org/10.1080/09291016.2019.1654203
  6. Baker, Z. G., Krieger, H. & LeRoy, A. S. (2016). Fear of missing out: Relationships with depression, mindfulness, and physical symptoms. Translational Issues in Psychological Science, 2(3), 275-282. https://doi.org/10.1037/tps0000075
  7. Barry, C. T., Sidoti, C. L., Briggs, S. M., Reiter, S. R. & Lindsey, R. A. (2017). Adolescent social media use and mental health from adolescent and parent perspectives. Journal of Adolescence, 61, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2017.08.005
  8. Behera, R. K., Bala, P. K. & Dhir, A. (2019). The emerging role of cognitive computing in healthcare: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 129, 154-166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2019.04.024
  9. Beyens, I., Frison, E. & Eggermont, S. (2016). I don’t want to miss a thing, adolescents’ fear of missing out and its relationship to adolescents’ social needs, Facebook use, and Facebook related stress. Computers in Human Behavior, 64, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.05.083
  10. Blachnio, A. & Przepiorka, A. (2018). Facebook intrusion, fear of missing out, narcissism, and life satisfaction: A cross-sectional study. Psychiatry Research, 259, 514-519. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2017.11.012
  11. Blackwell, D., Leaman, C., Tramposch, R., Osborne, C. & Liss, M. (2017). Extraversion, neuroticism, attachment style and fear of missing out as predictors of social media use and addiction. Personality and Individual Differences, 116, 69-72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.04.039
  12. Blanca, M. J. & Bendayan, R. (2018). Spanish version of the phubbing scale: internet addiction, Facebook intrusion, and fear of missing out as correlates, Psicothema, 30(4), 449-454.
  13. Bright, L. F. & Logan, K. (2018). Is my fear of missing out (FoMO) causing fatigue? Advertising, social media fatigue, and the implications for consumers and brands, Internet Research, 28(5), 1213-1227.
  14. Buglass, S. L., Binder, J. F., Betts, L. R. & Underwood, J. D. M. (2017). Motivators of online vulnerability: The impact of social network site use and FoMO, Computers in Human Behavior, 66, 248-255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.09.055
  15. Casale, S., Rugai, L. & Fioravanti, G. (2018). Exploring the role of positive metacognitions in explaining the association between the fear of missing out and social media addiction, Addictive Behaviors, 85, 83-87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2018.05.020
  16. Ceyhan, A. A. (2008). Predictors of problematic internet use on Turkish university students. Cyber Psychology & Behavior, 11(3), 363-366. https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2007.0112
  17. Chai, H. Y., Niu, G. F., Lian, S. L., Chu, X. W. & Sun, X. J. (2019). Why social network site use fails to promote well-being? The roles of social overload and fear of missing out, Computers in Human Behavior, 100, 85-92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.05.005
  18. Chotpitayasunondh, V. & Douglas, K. M. (2016). How “phubbing” becomes the norm: the antecedents and consequences of snubbing via smartphone, Computers in Human Behavior, 63, 9-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.05.018
  19. Clayton, R. B., Leshner, G. & Almond, A. (2015). The extended iSelf: the impact of iPhone separation on cognition, emotion, and physiology, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 20(2), 119-135. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcc4.12109
  20. Conlin, L., Billings, A. C. & Averset, L. (2016). Time-shifting vs. appointment viewing: the role of fear of missing out within TV consumption behaviors, Communication and Society, 29(4), 151-164.
  21. Coskun, S. & Muslu, G. K. (2019). Investigation of problematic mobile phones use and fear of missing out (FoMO) level in adolescents, Community Mental Health Journal, 55(6), 1004-1014.
  22. Çınar, Ç. Y. & Mutlu, E. (2019). İnternet bağımlılığının benlik saygısı, dikkat, gelişmeleri kaçırma korkusu, yaşam doyumu ve kişilik özellikleri ile ilişkisi. Bağımlılık Dergisi, 20(3), 133-142.
  23. Dhir, A., Yossatorn, Y., Kaur, P. & Chen, S. (2018). Online social media fatigue and psychological wellbeing—a study of compulsive use, fear of missing out, fatigue, anxiety and depression, International Journal of Information Management, 40, 141-152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2018.01.012
  24. Dogan, V. (2019). Why do people experience the fear of missing out (FoMO)? Exposing the link between the self and the FoMO through self-construal, Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 50(4), 524-538. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022119839145
  25. Dou, F., Li, Q., Li, X. & Wang, M. (2021). Impact of perceived social support on fear of missing of out (FoMO): A moderated mediation model. Current Psychology, 42, 63-72. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01404-4 Dossey, L. (2014). FOMO, digital dementia, and our dangerous experiment. Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing, 10(2), 69-73.
  26. Eide, T. A., Aarestad, S. H., Andreassen, C. S., Bilder, R. M. & Pallesen, S. (2018). Smartphone restriction and its effect on subjective withdrawal related scores, Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01444
  27. Erdoğan, P., & Şanlı, Y. (2019). Sağlık bilimleri fakültesi öğrencilerinde genel özyeterliliğin gelişmeleri kaçırma korkusu üzerine etkisi. OPUS Uluslararası Toplum Araştırmaları Dergisi, 14(20), 594-620. https://doi.org/10.26466/opus.595661
  28. Eşer, A. K. ve Alkaya, S. A. (2019). Hemşirelik öğrencilerinin sosyal medya bağımlılık durumu ve gelişmeleri kaçırma korkusunun incelenmesi. Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Hemşirelik Dergisi 1(1), 27-36.
  29. Franchina, V., Abeele, M. V., Rooij, A. J., Lo Coco, G. & De Marez, L. (2018). Fear of missing out as a predictor of problematic social media use and phubbing behavior among Flemish adolescents, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(10), 1-18.
  30. Gezgin, D. M. (2018). Understanding patterns for smartphone addiction: age, sleep duration, social network use and fear of missing out, Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences, 13(2), 166-177.
  31. Hetz, P. R., Dawson, C. L. & Cullen, T. A. (2015). Social media use and the fear of missing out (FoMO) while studying abroad, Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 47(4), 259-272. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2015.1080585
  32. Holte, A. J. & Ferraro, F. R. (2020). Anxious, bored, and (maybe) missingout: Evaluation of anxiety attachment, boredom proneness, and fear of missing out (FoMO). Computers in Human Behavior, 112, 106-115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106465
  33. Hoşgör, H., Koç-Tütüncü, S., Gündüz-Hoşgör, D. & Tandoğan, Ö. (2017). Üniversite öğrencileri arasında sosyal medyadaki gelişmeleri kaçırma korkusu yaygınlığının farklı değişkenler açısından incelenmesi. International Journal of Academic Value Studies. 3(17), 213-223.
  34. Hunt, M. G., Marx, R., Lipson, C. & Young, J. (2018). No more FOMO: limiting social media decreases loneliness and depression, Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 37(10), 751-768. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2018.37.10.751
  35. James, T. L., Lowry, P. B., Wallace, L. & Warkentin, M. (2017). The effect of belongingness on obsessive-compulsive disorder in the use of online social networks, Journal of Management Information Systems, 34(2), 560-596. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421222.2017.1334496
  36. Kacker, P. & Saurav, S. (2020). Correlation of missing out (fomo), anxıety and aggressıon of young adults. International Journal of Research-granthaalayah, 8(5), 132-138. https://doi.org/10.29121/granthaalayah.v8.i5.2020.107
  37. Karadağ, A. & Akçinar, B. (2019). Üniversite öğrencilerinde sosyal medya bağımlılığı ve psikolojik semptomlar arasındaki ilişki. Bağımlılık Dergisi, 20(3), 154-166.
  38. Kartol, A. & Peker, A. (2020). Ergenlerde sosyal ortamlarda gelişmeleri kaçırma korkusu (fomo) yordayıcılarının incelenmesi. OPUS-Uluslararası Toplum Araştırmaları Dergisi, 15(21), 454-474. https://doi.org/10.26466/opus.628081
  39. Kim, J., Lee, Y. & Kim, M. L. (2020). Investigating ‘Fear of Missing Out’ (FoMO) as an extrinsic motive affecting sport event consumer’s behavioral intention and FoMO driven consumption’s influence on intrinsic rewards, extrinsic rewards, and consumer satisfaction. PLoS One, 15(12) 102-124. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0243744
  40. Lai, C., Altavilla, D., Ronconi, A. & Aceto, P. (2016). Fear of missing out (FoMO) is associated with activation of the right middle temporal Gyrus during inclusion social cue, Computers in Human Behavior, 61, 516-521. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.03.072
  41. Mehta, N. & Pandit, A. (2018). Concurrence of big data analytics and healthcare: a systematic review, International Journal of Medical Informatics, 114, 57-65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2018.03.013
  42. Metin, B., Pehlivan, R. & Tarhan, N. (2017). Reliability and validity of Uskudar Fear of Missing Out Scale. The Journal of Neurobehavioral Sciences, 4(2), 43-46. https://doi.org/10.5455/JNBS.1494334674 Metz J (2019) Fomo and regret for non-doings. Social Theory and Practice, 45, 451- 470. https://doi.org/10.5840/soctheorpract201992767
  43. Milyavskaya, M., Saffran, M., Hope, N. & Koestner, R. (2018). Fear of missing out: prevalence, dynamics, and consequences of experiencing FoMO, Motivation and Emotion, 42(5), 725-737.
  44. Modzelewski, P. (2020). FoMO (fear of missing out) an educational and behavioral problem in times of new communication forms. Konteksty Pedagogiczne, 14(1), 215-232.
  45. Oberst, U., Wegmann, E., Stodt, B., Brand, M. & Chamarro, A. (2017). Negative consequences from heavy social networking in adolescents: the mediating role of fear of missing out, Journal of Adolescence, 55, 51-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.12.008
  46. O’Connell, C. (2020). How FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), the smartphone, and social media may be affecting university students in the Middle East. North American Journal of Psychology, 22(1), 83-102
  47. Popovac, M. & Hadlington, L. (2020). Exploring the role of egocentrism and fear of missing out on online risk behaviours among adolescents in South Africa, International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25(1), 276-291. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1617171
  48. Przybylski, A. K., Murayama, K., DeHaan, C. R. & Gladwell, V. (2013). Motivational, emotional, and behavioral correlates of fear of missing out. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(4), 1841-1848. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2013.02.014
  49. Qutishat, M. & Sharour, L. A. (2019). Relationship between fear of missing out and academic performance among omani university students: a descriptive correlation study. Oman Medical Journal, 34(5), 404-411. https://doi.org/10.5001/omj.2019.75
  50. Reer, F., Tang, W. Y. & Quandt, T. (2019). Psychosocial well-being and social media engagement: the mediating roles of social comparison orientation and fear of missing out, New Media and Society, 21(7), 1486-1505. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444818823719
  51. Roberts, J.A. & David, M. E. (2019). The social media party: fear of missing out (fomo), social media ıntensity, connection, and well-being. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 36(4), 386-392. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2019.1646517
  52. Rogers, A. P. & Barber, L. K. (2019). Addressing FoMO and telepressure among university students: could a technology intervention help with social media use and sleep disruption? Computers in Human Behavior, 93, 192-199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.12.016
  53. Santos, S., Pimentel, C. E., Mariano, T. E. (2021). Cyberstalking scale: development and relations with gender, fomo and social media engagement. Current psychology, 42(6), 4802-4810, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01823-3
  54. Sarıca-Keçeci, H., Kahya-Özyirmidokuz, E. & Özbakır, L. (2021). Dijital bağımlılık ve FoMO, kişilik faktörleri ve mutluluk ile ilişkisi: üniversite öğrencileri ile bir uygulama. Bağımlılık Dergisi, 22(4), 379-394. https://doi.org/10.51982/bagimli.902214
  55. Scott, H. & Woods, H. C. (2018). Fear of missing out and sleep: cognitive behavioural factors in adolescents’ nighttime social media use, Journal of Adolescence, 68, 61-65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2018.07.009
  56. Servidio, R. (2019). Self-control and problematic smartphone use among Italian university students: the mediating role of the fear of missing out and of smartphone use patterns: research and reviews, Current Psychology, 40(8), 4101-4111. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-019-00373-z
  57. Stead, H. & Bibby, P. A. (2017). Personality, fear of missing out and problematic internet use and their relationship to subjective well-being, Computers in Human Behavior, 76, 534-540. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.08.016
  58. Steele, R. G., Hall, J. A. & Christofferson, J. L. (2020). Conceptualizing digital stress in adolescents and young adults: toward the development of an empirically based model, Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 23(1), 15-26.
  59. Talwar, S., Dhir, A., Kaur, P., Zafar, N. & Alrasheedy, M. (2019). Why do people share fake news? Associations between the dark side of social media use and fake news sharing behavior, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 51, 72-82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.05.026
  60. Tandon, A., Dhir, A., Talwar, S., Kaur, P. & Mäntymäki, M. (2021). Dark consequences of social media-induced fear of missing out (FoMO): Social media stalking, comparisons, and fatigue. Technol Forecast Soc Change, 171,120-131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120931
  61. Tomczyk, Ł. & Selmanagic-Lizde, E. (2018). Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) among youth in Bosnia and Herzegovina-scale and selected mechanisms, Children and Youth Services Review, 88, 541-549. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.03.048
  62. Wang, P., Xie, X., Wang, X., Wang, X., Zhao, F., Chu, X., Nie, J. & Lei, L. (2018). The need to belong and adolescent authentic self-presentation on SNSs: a moderated mediation model involving FoMO and perceived social support, Personality and Individual Differences, 128, 133-138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2018.02.035
  63. Wegmann, E., Oberst, U., Stodt, B. & Brand, M. (2017). Online-specific fear of missing out and Internet-use expectancies contribute to symptoms of Internet-communication disorder, Addictive Behaviors Reports, 5, 33-42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.abrep.2017.04.001
  64. Wolniewicz, C. A., Tiamiyu, M. F., Weeks, J. W. & Elhai, J. D. (2018). Problematic smartphone use and relations with negative affect, fear of missing out, and fear of negative and positive evaluation, Psychiatry Research, 262, 618-623. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2017.09.058
  65. Xie, X., Wang, Y., Wang, P., Zhao, F. & Lei, L. (2018). Basic psychological needs satisfaction and fear of missing out: friend support moderated the mediating effect of individual relative deprivation, Psychiatry Research, 268, 223-228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2018.07.025
  66. Yıldız, K., Kurnaz, D. & Kırık, A. M. (2020). Nomofobi, netlessfobi ve gelişmeleri kaçırma korkusu: Sporcu genç yetişkinler üzerine bir araştırma. Celal Bayar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 18(1), 321-338. https://doi.org/10.18026/cbayarsos.669601
  67. Yin, L., Wang, P., Nie, J., Guo, J., Feng, J. & Lei, L. (2019). Social networking sites addiction and FoMO: the mediating role of envy and the moderating role of need to belong, Current Psychology, 40, 3879-3887. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-019-00344-4
  68. Zhou, B. (2019).Fear of missing out, feeling of acceleration, and being permanently online: a survey study of university students’ use of mobile apps in China, Chinese Journal of Communication, 12(1), 66-83. https://doi.org/10.1080/17544750.2018.1523803