International Journal of Progressive Education, Volume 16 Number 2, 2020

© 2020 INASED

Investigating Direct and Indirect Effects of Social Media Addiction, Social Media Usage
and Personality Traits on FOMO

Nazire Burcin Hamutoglu i

Eskisehir Technical University

Murat Topal ii
Sakarya University

Deniz Mertkan Gezgin iii

Trakya University

Abstract

In this study, it is aimed to investigate direct and indirect effects of Social Media Addiction (SMA),
Social Media Usage (DSMU) and Personality Traits beyond BIG 5 on Fear of Missing Out (FOMO).
The research was based on quantitative research methods conducted in accordance with the relational
survey model and 845 prospective students studying at Sakarya University Faculty of Education were
included by stratified sampling method. The path analysis was performed to examine the direct and
indirect effects of the variables by AMOS and SPSS. The results show that FOMO directly and
positively predicted by SMA, and DSMU had a significant and positive effect on SMA while DSMU
having no effect on FOMO. Finally, the results on personality traits and FOMO indicated that
agreeableness (AGR) personality trait had a positive effect on FOMO while other personality traits did
not. In the study, results were discussed within the framework of the literature.

Keywords: FOMO, personality traits, social media addiction, social media usage, prospective
teachers.

DOI: 10.29329/ijpe.2020.241.17

-------------------------------
i
Nazire Burcin Hamutoglu, Instructor Dr., The Centre of Learning and Teaching Excellence, Eskisehir
Technical University

Correspondence: nbhamutoglu@eskisehir.edu.tr
ii
Murat Topal, Research Assist. Dr., Computer Education and Instructional Technology, Sakarya University
iii
Deniz Mertkan Gezgin, Assoc. Prof. Dr., Computer Education and Instructional Technology, Trakya
University, ORCID: 0000-0003-4688-043X

248
This document downloaded from 96.253.117.48 [2 times] Midlothian / United States on Fri, 10 Apr 2020 21:38:32 +0300
 International Journal of Progressive Education, Volume 16 Number 2, 2020
© 2020 INASED

INTRODUCTION

Social media is defined as web 2.0 skills such as creating and sharing contents and
collaborating online (Kuss and Griffiths, 2017). Accordingly, when it comes to social media usage, a
wide range of social applications such as collaborative projects, blogs, content communities, social
networking sites, virtual game worlds come to mind, all of which form social media (Kaplan and
Haenlein, 2010). Social networking sites as some of the most well-known tools of social media are
widely used especially by young people via mobile applications that can be accessed fast and easily
with the development of mobile technologies (Zheng & Lee, 2016). In general, social networking sites
are defined as virtual communities where users can create their individual profiles, interact with real-
life friends and meet other people depending on their common interests (Kuss and Griffiths, 2011).
According to the We are Social (2018) report, 42% of the world’s population actively uses social
media, and 39% of them use social media actively on mobile devices. While there used to be 51
million active social media users, which amount to 51% of the population in Turkey, it has been
reported that there are now 54 million active social media users, which amount to 54% of the
population, with smartphones having become popular. Furthermore, regarding the actively used social
network applications stated in the report, the most actively used social media platform is YouTube,
which is followed by Facebook, Instagram particularly for story and photo posting, Twitter and
Google+, respectively.

Wide range of features provided by social networking sites to users causes them to use these
tools for different purposes. Facebook and Instagram, two of the most commonly used ones, seem to
be used more by adolescents and university students. As Howe and Strauss (1991) stated, the use of
social networking sites in the Y and Z generation is more common and popular. Although social
networking sites are used among university students for different purposes, it is seen that the use of
applications such as Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp are more common than others (Gezgin,
Hamutoglu, Gemikonakli and Raman, 2017; Lambić, 2016). Among the university students, social
networking sites are used rather for video and photo posting, following up the posts, communication
with new acquaintances or current friends, following up family members / friends and for
entertainment (Cheung et al., 2011; Lee and Long, 2012; Lenhart and Madden, 2007). Furthermore,
social networks are also used frequently to make new friends, kill time, get information, chat online,
exchange ideas and have fun (upload photos to the profile, play games) (Solmaz, Tekin, Herzem &
Demir, 2013; Vural & Bat, 2010). It is also stated that university students often use social networks for
educational-instructional purposes such as sharing the course content, communicating with instructors
and friends in writing or verbally, participating in educational activities, making plans, expressing
opinions in common study platforms (forums), getting motivated during homework, and having
academic discussions (Barczyk and Duncan, 2013; Calvo-Armengol, Patacchini, Yves, 2008; Paul,
Baker and Cochran, 2012; Kabilan, Ahmad and Abidin, 2010). The study conducted by Rosen et al.
(2013) showed that the students preferred Facebook more when it came to using social media for
educational purposes, and the university students were more likely to see Facebook as a tool for
education. Moreover, universities and institutes are already using social networking sites such as
Facebook and LinkedIn to communicate with potential people and groups to make academic
exchanges (Paul, Baker, Cochran, 2012). Eren-Şişman (2014) stated that social networks are used for
interpersonal interaction and course preparation, and Karal and Kokoç (2010) observed that that social
networks are used for familiarization/recognition and education as well as for social interaction-
communication purposes. Consequently, social network users introduce themselves to the people and
institutions they are connected to through a profile they create, establish friendship relations through
this profile, participate in groups and activities that they are interested in and share their experiences
by discussing their thoughts with other group members. It is accordingly observed that university
students use social networking sites for different purposes.

Common and intensive use of social media especially by adolescents and university students
may bring about adversities such as problematic social media usage, social media addiction, and fear
of missing out. Social media addiction, which is defined as the inability to control the use of social
media and the disruption of other activities in an individual’s life due to excessive use (Ryan, Chester,

249
This document downloaded from 96.253.117.48 [2 times] Midlothian / United States on Fri, 10 Apr 2020 21:38:32 +0300
International Journal of Progressive Education, Volume 16 Number 2, 2020
© 2020 INASED

Reece, & Xenos, 2014), is regarded as a sub-factor of Internet addiction (Young, 2009). Social media
addiction can affect individual’s life negatively due to consequences such as weakened interpersonal
communication skills and decreased quality of communication (Nyland et al., 2007; Tokunaga, 2011),
decreased self-efficacy (Valkenburg et al., 2006; Hawi and Samaha, 2017) and adversely affected
well-being and mental health (Pantic, 2014). Studies in the literature show that women are more likely
to be social media addicts than men (Andreassen, 2015; Griffiths, Kuss, & Demetrovics, 2014) and
younger people have higher tendency to have social media addiction compared to older people (Kuss,
Griffiths, Karila, & Billieux, 2014). Daily social media usage is an important variable that can be used
to predict social media addiction (Yang and Tung, 2007; Al-Menayes, 2015) and social media
addiction tend to be affected by experience (Al-Menayes, 2015) and daily social media usage (Al-
Menayes, 2015; Kırık, Arslan, Çetinkaya, & Mehmet, 2015). In addition, it is stated that social media
addiction can be caused by social drives, severe depression, anxiety and insomnia (Koc and Gulyagci,
2013), but it may also be due to fear of missing out (FOMO) the developments in these environments
(Blackwell et al., 2017).

FOMO is defined as a new type of addiction which causes individuals to spend much longer
time on social networks as they are afraid of missing out the developments and failing to be informed
of developments on social networking sites (Buglass, Binder, Betts and Underwood, 2017; Dossey,
2014 Oberst, Wegmann, Stodt, Brand and Chamarro, 2017; Przybylski, Murayama, DeHaan and
Gladwell, 2013). FOMO has also been reported to increase social media usage among young people
(Alt, 2015; Przybylski et al., 2013). Moreover, Chamarro and Oberst (2016) reported that FOMO
triggers problematic social networking and is associated with social media addiction. Considering that
social media is mostly used via mobile devices, several studies also showed that FOMO causes
problematic smartphone usage (Alt, 2015; Clayton et al., 2015; El Hai et al., 2016; Przybylski, 2013).
Kuss and Griffiths (2017) stated in the light of the relevant literature that FOMO can be a strong
predictor of social media addiction. There are more and more studies on FOMO in Turkey. Gökler et
al. (2016) found in their study on university students that the students using social network accounts
intensively and with many social media accounts had higher FOMO levels. In the said study, they
stated that there was a positive relationship between FOMO levels and increased social network usage.
Gezgin et al. (2017) showed in their study on preservice teachers that that the preservice teachers using
social media actively for longer than seven hours during the day had higher FOMO levels. The same
study reported that the preservice teachers using Twitter, Instagram, Swarm and Snapchat applications
also had higher FOMO levels. Another study observed that the university students with a tendency of
FOMO were spending at least 7 hours on social media actively every day and had 4 different accounts
on 4 different social networking sites (Hoşgör, Tütüncü, Hoşgör and Tandoğan, 2017). In the light of
these findings, it is obviously important to explore the relationship between social media addiction,
daily social media usage and FOMO, which would contribute to the literature. Studies in the literature
indicate that the FOMO variable should be addressed in studies on social media usage and social
media addiction (Blackwell, Leaman, Tramposch, Osborne, & Liss, 2017).

Besides FOMO, personality traits are some of the variables that can affect the use of social
media. The five-factor personality model is one of the most widely used models (Judge et al., 1999). It
is a broad model that tries to explain conditions related to personality structures (Mccrae & Costa,
1987; Digman, 1990). The model, which was adapted to Turkish language and culture as “Beş
Faktörlü Kişilik Ölçeği” (“Big Five Personality Traits Scale”), consists of five personality traits which
are extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness and neuroticism and openness to experience
(Horzum, Ayas, & Padir, 2017). Extravert individuals are friendly people who are eager to establish
social relationships (Lounsbury and Gibson, 2009). Agreeable individuals are polite, trustworthy,
cooperative and tolerant (Glass, Prichard, Lafortune, & Schwab, 2013). Conscientiousness means that
individuals are planned, organized, responsible and have high self-control (Barrick, & Mount, 1991).
Neuroticism is about whether an individual is angry, anxious, depressive, insecure or nervous and
refers to being inclined to such emotions (Barrick, & Mount, 1991). Openness to experience refers to
imagination, being sophisticated, curiosity, aesthetics, sensibility, intelligence and being broad-minded
(Barrick, & Mount, 1991). Studies show that personality traits are important in predicting technology
use, technology acceptance and use of social media (Jeong, & Kim, 2016; Xay et al., 2016; Deveraj,

250
This document downloaded from 96.253.117.48 [2 times] Midlothian / United States on Fri, 10 Apr 2020 21:38:32 +0300
 International Journal of Progressive Education, Volume 16 Number 2, 2020
© 2020 INASED

Easly, & Crant, 2008; Andreassen, Torsheim, Brunborg, & Pallesen, 2012; Blackwell, Leaman,
Tramposch, Osborne, & Liss, 2017). The five-factor personality model is considered a variable that is
used to explain social media addiction. For instance, a positive relationship is observed between
individuals’ social media addiction tendencies and extraversion (Ryan, & Xenos, 2011; Wilson,
Fornasier, & White, 2010). On the other hand, a negative relationship was observed between
individuals’ social media addictions and personality trait of conscientiousness (Wilson, Fornasier, &
White, 2010). While some studies argue a positive relationship between neuroticism and social media
usage frequency (Correa, Hinsley, & Zungia, 2010), other studies have observed a negative
relationship between Facebook addiction and personality traits of conscientiousness and openness to
experience (Andreassen et al., 2013).

This study aimed to investigate direct and indirect effects of Social Media Addiction (SMA),
Social Media Usage (DSMU) and Personality Traits beyond BIG 5 on Fear of Missing Out (FOMO).
It is thought that identifying the effects of social media addiction, daily social media usage, and
personality traits on FOMO may have important outcomes academically, socially and educationally. It
is accordingly anticipated that discussing the integration of social networking sites into courses via
usage in educational-instructional processes within the framework of social media addiction and
FOMO will provide beneficial suggestions.

Purpose of Research and Research Questions

This study discussed “Social Media Addiction” “FOMO”, “Daily Social Media Usage” and
“Personality Traits” which are known to be positively interrelated in the literature and sought answers
to the following questions for identifying their direct and indirect effects on FOMO with a path
analysis:

1. How does Social Media Addiction affect FOMO?

2. How does Daily Social Media Usage affect Social Media Addiction?

3. How does Daily Social Media Usage affect FOMO?

4. How do personality traits of EXT, AGR, CON, NER and OE affect FOMO?

METHOD

This study mainly aimed to investigate the direct and indirect effects of variables that affect
FOMO. The participants of the research were included in the study group with the stratified sampling
method, and the research was planned and conducted in accordance with the relational survey model
of quantitative research methods. Survey studies summarize the characteristics of participant
individuals, groups or physical environments (Büyüköztürk, Kılıç Çakmak, Akgün, Karadeniz &
Demirel, 2017) rather than the causes of opinions and characteristics regardless of the effort to change
and influence the situation in question (Fraenkel & Wallen, 2006). Relational survey models aim to
measure the presence and degree of the change between two or more variables (Karasar, 2008, p. 81).

Participants

Participants were 845 prospective students being educated at Sakarya University Faculty of
Education, and participants age ranged from 18 to 26 (M=4.54; sd=1.64). It was asked to participants
that voluntarily complete the questionnaire. Stratified sampling method was used for the selection of
participants from all departments and grade level. 845 students was selected based on 3% confidence
interval from 3547 students (Anderson, 1990). Detailed information presented at Table 1.

251
This document downloaded from 96.253.117.48 [2 times] Midlothian / United States on Fri, 10 Apr 2020 21:38:32 +0300
International Journal of Progressive Education, Volume 16 Number 2, 2020
© 2020 INASED

Table 1. Participants of the study selected b stratified sampling method

Departments Total number of students
1. Grade 2. Grade 3. Grade 4. Grade Total (obtained) Total (valid)
Computer Education & Instructional
10 18 18 22 68 64
Technologies
Science Education 19 18 17 17 71 71
Mathematics Education 18 16 18 16 68 68
English Language Teaching 15 11 11 10 47 47
Preschool Education 18 25 16 16 75
139
Preschool Education (Evening Education) 19 17 15 13 64
Special Education 14 14 7 - 35 35
Guidance and Psychological Counselling 17 25 23 30 74
Guidance and Psychological Counselling 155
20 25 22 15 82
(Evening Education)
Elementary Education 21 19 20 12 72 72
Social Studies Education 17 16 16 14 63 63
Turkish Language Education 16 17 19 16 68 68
Teaching for Mentally Handicapped - 5 10 14 29
Teaching for Mentally Handicapped 63
- 9 13 12 34
(Evening Education)
Total 204 226 225 189 850 845

Procedure

The path analysis of structural equation models was performed to examine direct and indirect
effects of the variables that are theoretically interrelated in the study. Path analysis operates only
through the observed variables (Raykov & Marcoulides, 2006) and is a method which allows for
examining the causation between two or more variables. Path analysis enables analyses that can be
performed using multiple regression analysis techniques for causative modelling (Bordens & Abbott,
2011) to be conducted only on a chart. Effect size values were also calculated for each structural
equation. Permission for conduct was obtained from the administration of Sakarya University Faculty
of Education. The test model is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Model examined with Path Analysis

Data Analysis

The data were collected on voluntary basis, and SPSS 23 and AMOS 23 software packages
were utilized in the analysis. Furthermore, the effect size was calculated using the Microsoft Excel
software package in the research.

252
This document downloaded from 96.253.117.48 [2 times] Midlothian / United States on Fri, 10 Apr 2020 21:38:32 +0300
 International Journal of Progressive Education, Volume 16 Number 2, 2020
© 2020 INASED

FINDINGS

The path analysis which is a type of structural equation modeling was used to test the model
developed in the study. The analysis examined the relationships between “FOMO”, “SMA”, “DSMU”
and different personality traits of “EXT”, “AGR”, “CON”, “NER” and “OE” and identified direct and
indirect effects between these variables. Table 1 summarizes the mean, standard deviation and
correlation values, and Table 2 sums up the fit values achieved in regard to the path analysis.

Table 2. Mean, Standard Deviation and Correlation Values of Data

N Min. Max. Mean. sd Skewness Kurtosis (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)

FOMO 845 12 46 29.06 5,99 ,192 ,239 1

(1)

SMA (2) 845 32 80 56.84 8,33 -,185 -,037 ,487** 1

DSMU 845 0 6 3.16 1,47 ,015 -,561 ,234** ,419** 1

(hour)(3)

EXT (4) 845 3 9 5.96 1,03 ,303 ,864 ,061 ,069 ,027 1

AGR (5) 845 4 10 6.92 1,19 ,237 ,058 ,121 ,081 ,020 ,130** 1

** *

CON (6) 845 3 10 6.51 1,28 ,165 ,401 ,044 ,028 -,036 ,113 ,122 1

** **

NER (7) 845 2 10 6.40 1,51 -,049 -,216 ,003 ,044 ,003 ,002 ,164 ,048 1

**

OE (8) 845 3 10 6.25 1,28 ,184 ,132 ,065 ,051 -,038 -,003 ,090 ,125 ,113 1

** ** **
FOMO: Fear of missing out; SMA:Social media addcition; DSMU:Duration of daily social media usage; EXT:
Extraversion; AGR: Agreeableness; CON: Conscientiousness; NER: Nervousness; OE: Openness to experience
*p .05 ** p< .01

As seen in Table 2, the relationships between the variables were significant and at the
expected level. These results also argue that there were important and significant effects between the
variables. Tolerance (>0.2) and VIF (<10) values were examined to identify the problem of
multicollinearity between the variables in the data analysis, and no problem was detected whatsoever.
Furthermore, the data were normally distributed according to the skewness and kurtosis values in the
table (Mertler & Vannatta, 2005). Given the relationships between the variables, it was observed that
rFOMO-SMA = 0.487; rFOMO-DSMU = 0.234; rSMA-DSMU = 0.419; and rAGR-FOMO = 0.121.
Accordingly, it can be argued that there were moderate positive relationships between FOMO and
SMA, and SMA and DSMU but low positive relationships between FOMO and DSMU, and AGR and
FOMO (Davis, 1971).

253
This document downloaded from 96.253.117.48 [2 times] Midlothian / United States on Fri, 10 Apr 2020 21:38:32 +0300
International Journal of Progressive Education, Volume 16 Number 2, 2020
© 2020 INASED

Table 3. Perfect and acceptable fit values in regard to the path analysis

Fit indices Perfect Fit indices Accepted fit indices Achieved values

(χ2/df) ≤3 ≤ 4-5 1.63

AGFI ≥ 0.90 ≥ 0.85 0.98

GFI ≥ 0.90 ≥ 0.85 0.99

CFI ≥ 0.97 ≥ 0.90 0.99

RMSEA ≤ 0.05 0.06-0.08 0.03

SRMR ≤ 0.05 0.06-0.08 0.02

According to the fit values in Table 2, the model has acceptable and perfect fit values (χ2
=16.321, sd =10 χ2/sd = 1.63; RMSEA = 0.03; SRMR = 0.02; CFI = 0.99; GFI = 0.99; AGFI = 0.98)
(Arbuckle, 2007; Baumgartner & Homburg, 1996; Bentler & Bonett, 1980; Bollen, 1990; Browne &
Cudeck, 1993; Byrne, 2001; Hu and Bentler, 1999; Joreskog & Sorbom, 1993; Kline, 2011; Marsh,
Hau, Artelt, Baumert & Peschar, 2006; Steiger, 2007; Schermelleh-Engel & Moosbrugger, 2003;
Tanaka & Huba, 1985). The developed and tested path analysis is shown in Figure 2. The information
on direct and indirect effects on the variable tested in the model is provided in Table 4.

Figure 2. Findings Achieved in the Path Analysis

Table 4. Direct and indirect effects on the variables of FOMO and SMA

Independent Dependent Total effect Direct effect Indirect Standard Critical ratio
variables variables effect error (t)

SMA FOMO 0.46 0.46 - 0.034 14.024***

DSMU FOMO 0.24 0.04 0.19 0.033 1.266

DSMU SMA 0.42 0.42 - 0.031 13.390***

254
This document downloaded from 96.253.117.48 [2 times] Midlothian / United States on Fri, 10 Apr 2020 21:38:32 +0300
 International Journal of Progressive Education, Volume 16 Number 2, 2020
© 2020 INASED

EXT FOMO 0.02 0.02 - 0.035 0.534

AGR FOMO 0.08 0.08 - 0.032 2.624**

CON FOMO 0.02 0.02 - 0.032 0.584

NER FOMO -0.04 -0.04 - 0.031 -1.169

OE FOMO 0.04 0.04 - 0.031 1.244

FOMO: Fear of missing out; SMA:Social media addcition; DSMU:Duration of daily social media usage; EXT:
Extraversion; AGR: Agreeableness; CON: Conscientiousness; NER: Nervousness; OE: Openness to experience
*** p< 0.001 ; **p< 0.01; * p< 0.05

In the model, the independent variable “Daily Social Media Usage- DSMU” had no significant
effect on “FOMO” (β = 0.04, p > 0.05) while affecting the variable “Social Media Addiction-SMA” (β
= 0.42, p < 0.001) directly and positively. It can also be said that the independent variable SMA had a
direct and positive effect (β = 0.46, p < 0.001) on FOMO. Moreover, the independent variable AGR (β
= 0.08, p <0.001) had a direct, positive and significant effect on the dependent variable of FOMO
whereas the independent variables of EXT (β = 0.02, p> 0.05), CON (β = 0.02, p> 0.05), NER (β = -
0.04, p> 0.05) and OE (β = 0.04, p> 0.05) did not affect FOMO significantly. Accordingly, 24% (R2 =
0.24) of FOMO was explained by the independent variables of SMA and AGR. On the other hand, the
independent variable of DSMU alone explained the dependent variable of SMA at 18% (R2 = 0.18).

Effect Size

To test whether the result achieved in the research was significant and its significance in
practice, the standardized (f2) value was calculated, which was suggested by Cohen (1988) for
regression analyses and linear models. f2 value is calculated by the division of multiple correlation
coefficient (R2) by its subtraction from 1 (1–R2) (f2 = R2 /(1 – R2 )). Accordingly, 0.02 ≤ f2 < 0.15
refers to small effect, 0.15 ≤ f2 < 0.35 to medium effect and 0.35 ≤ f2 to large effect (Cohen, 1988).
The research concluded a medium effect size (R2 = 0.18; f2 = 0.22). The effect sizes calculated for
each variable in the equation are shown in Table 5.

Table 5. Effect sizes

Structural Equation R2 f2

FOMO 0.24 0.31

SMA 0.18 0.22

FOMO: Fear of missing out; SMA: Social media addiction

As seen in Table 5, the independent variables of SMA and AGR had a medium effect on
FOMO (R2 = 0.24; f2 = 0.31) and DSMU had a small effect on SMA (R2 = 0.02; f2 = 0.02).

CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION

The findings of this study examining the relationship between social media addiction, FOMO
and personality traits showed social media addiction’s effect on FOMO. The literature indicates that
FOMO causes problematic and intensive social media use (Alt, 2015; Beyens, Frison and Eggermont,
2016; Przybylski et al, 2013; Al-Menayes, 2016). Nonetheless, individuals may become addicted due
to the intensive social media usage caused by FOMO (Gil, Chamarro and Oberst, 2015). The idea that
the addicted individual may have increased FOMO levels can be considered in the light of the results
of this study because the SMA variable had a positive effect on FOMO in the study. It can be
accordingly implied that increased social media addiction can make students more curious about

255
This document downloaded from 96.253.117.48 [2 times] Midlothian / United States on Fri, 10 Apr 2020 21:38:32 +0300
International Journal of Progressive Education, Volume 16 Number 2, 2020
© 2020 INASED

events and posts on social media, therefore increasing their FOMO levels. It is thought that addiction
may reinforce FOMO, and then, social media offering rewarding experiences will an effect on the
drive to check individuals’ own profile and friends’ profiles and spend time on social networks by
building up the desire to be in connection with what others do (Dossey, 2014; Przybylski et al., 2013)
in the mechanism of drive, behavior and reward in regard to addiction. This mechanism and the
suggested mutual effects of SMA and FOMO are shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3. Place of FOMO in the Cycle of Social Media Addiction

Some of the studies in the literature support this finding (Blackwell, Leaman, Tramposch,
Osborne, & Liss, 2017; Al-Menayes, 2016). It is, however, mentioned in the literature that high
FOMO levels are associated with high Facebook engagement and may have consequences such as
social media usage when using tools during courses (Przybylski, Murayama, DeHaan, & Gladwell,
2013). In addition, FOMO is considered an important variable in predicting problematic social media
use (Al-Menayes, 2016).

Regarding the findings on daily social media usage, the DSMU variable had a significant and
positive effect on SMA. This is a finding frequently mentioned in the literature (Yang and Tung, 2007;
Al-Menayes, 2015; Kırık, Arslan, Çetinkaya, & Mehmet, 2015) and expected by researchers and
experts of the field. Furthermore, the analyses made in regard to the relationship between FOMO and
DSMU indicated that DSMU was effective on SMA while having no effect on FOMO. Even though
there are studies showing that the students with high levels of FOMO had higher DSMU (Alt,
2015; Gezgin et al., 2017; Gökler et al., 2017; Przybylski et al., 2013), the analysis performed on the
data obtained in the research concluded no effect of DSMU on FOMO levels.

The findings achieved in the analysis for identifying the relationship between personality traits
and FOMO indicated that AGR had a positive effect on FOMO while other personality traits (EXT,
CON, NER, OE) did not. On the other hand, Stead & Bibby (2017) reported a negative relationship
between FOMO and CON and a positive relationship between FOMO and CON. Hadlington & Scase
(2018) stated in their study on individuals at the age of 18-65 that there was a negative relationship
between FOMO and CON, and on contrary to the findings of this research, a negative relationship
between FOMO and AGR.

Acknowledgement

I hereby that this research has not been funded by any companies

256
This document downloaded from 96.253.117.48 [2 times] Midlothian / United States on Fri, 10 Apr 2020 21:38:32 +0300
 International Journal of Progressive Education, Volume 16 Number 2, 2020
© 2020 INASED

Declaration

Availability of data and material

Not applicable.

Funding

I hereby this study is not funded by any companies or institutions. Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Statements on open data and ethics

This research was carried out considering Committee on Publication Ethics’ (COPE) the
ethical guidelines. The participants consist of prospective teachers and they participated to the study
voluntarily. The participants informed about the privacy of the study and ensured their names were not
taken. The views taken from the participants do not match with any of their demographics in case of
not being disadvantaged.

REFERENCES

Al-Menayes, J. J. (2015). Dimensions of social media addiction among university students in Kuwait.
Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, 4(1), 23-28.

Al-Menayes, J. (2016). The fear of missing out scale: Validation of the Arabic version and correlation
with social media addiction. International Journal of Applied Psychology, 6(2), 41-46.

Anderson, G. (1990). Fundementals of educational research. London: The Farmer Press.

Andreassen, C. S. (2015). Online social network site addiction: A comprehensive review. Current
Addiction Reports, 2, 175–184

Andreassen, C. S., Griffiths, M. D., Gjertsen, S. R., Krossbakken, E., Kvam, S., & Pallesen, S. (2013).
The relationships between behavioral addictions and the five-factor model of personality.
Journal of behavioral addictions, 2(2), 90-99.

Alt, D. (2015). College students’ academic motivation, media engagement and fear of missing out.
Computers in Human Behavior, 49, 111-119.

Alt, D. (2018). Students’ wellbeing, fear of missing out, and social media engagement for leisure in
higher education learning environments. Current Psychology, 37(1), 128-138.

Andreassen, C. S., Torsheim, T., Brunborg, G. S., & Pallesen, S. (2012). Development of a Facebook
addiction scale. Psychological reports, 110(2), 501-517.

Barczyk, C. C., & Duncan, D. G. (2013). Facebook in higher education courses: An analysis of
students’ attitudes, community of practice, and classroom community. International
Business and Management, 6(1), 1-11.

257
This document downloaded from 96.253.117.48 [2 times] Midlothian / United States on Fri, 10 Apr 2020 21:38:32 +0300
International Journal of Progressive Education, Volume 16 Number 2, 2020
© 2020 INASED

Barrick, M. R., & Mount, M. K. (1991). The big five personality dimensions and job performance: a
meta‐analysis. Personnel psychology, 44(1), 1-26.

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.

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.

Buglass, S. L., Binder, J. F., Betts, L. R., & Underwood, J. D. (2017). Motivators of online
vulnerability: The impact of social network site use and FOMO. Computers in Human
Behavior, 66, 248-255.

Büyüköztürk, Ş. (2012). Sosyal Bilimler için Veri Analizi El Kitabı (17. Baskı). Ankara: Pegem A
Yayıncılık.

Büyüköztürk, Ş., Kılıç Çakmak, E., Akgün, Ö. E., Karadeniz, Ş., & Demirel, F. (2012). Bilimsel
Araştırma Yöntemleri (11. Baskı). Ankara: PegemA Yayıncılık.

Can, A. (2014). SPSS ile bilimsel araştırma sürecinde nicel veri analizi. Pegem Akademi: Ankara.

Calvo-Armengol A., Patacchini E., & Yves Z.(2008). Peer effects and social networks in education.
Review of Economic Studies, 76, 1239-1267.

Gil, F., Chamarro, A., & Oberst, U. (2015). Addiction to online social networks: A question of “Fear
of Missing Out”? Journal of Behavioral Addiction, 4(Suppl. S1), 1-66.

Cheung CMK, Chiu PY, Lee MKO 2011. Online social networks: Why do students use Facebook?
Computers in Human Behavior, 27(4): 1337-1343.

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.

Correa, T., Hinsley, A. W., & De Zuniga, H. G. (2010). Who interacts on the Web? The intersection of
users’ personality and social media use. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(2), 247-253.

Devaraj, S., Easley, R. F., & Crant, J. M. (2008). Research note—how does personality matter?
Relating the five-factor model to technology acceptance and use. Information Systems
Research, 19(1), 93-105.

Diker, E., & Taşdelen, B. (2017). Sosyal medya olmasaydı ne olurdu? Sosyal medya bağımlısı
gençlerin görüşlerine ilişkin nitel bir araştırma. Uluslararası Hakemli İletişim ve Edebiyat
Araştırmaları Dergisi, 17, 189-206.

Digman, J. M. (1990). Personality Structure: Emergence of the Five-Factor Model. Annual Review of
Psychology, 41(1), 417–440.

Dossey, L. (2014). FOMO, digital dementia, and our dangerous experiment. The Journal of Science
and Healing, 2(10), 69-73.

Elhai, J. D., Levine, J. C., Dvorak, R. D., & Hall, B. J. (2016). Fear of missing out, need for touch,
anxiety and depression are related to problematic smartphone use. Computers in Human
Behavior, 63, 509-516.

258
This document downloaded from 96.253.117.48 [2 times] Midlothian / United States on Fri, 10 Apr 2020 21:38:32 +0300
 International Journal of Progressive Education, Volume 16 Number 2, 2020
© 2020 INASED

Eren, E. Ş. (2014). Sosyal medya kullanım amaçları ölçeğinin geliştirilmesi ve bazı kişisel
değişkenlere göre incelenmesi. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 29(4), 230-
243.

Filiz, O., Osman, E. R. O. L., Dönmez, F. İ., & Kurt, A. A. (2014). BÖTE bölümü öğrencilerinin
sosyal ağ siteleri kullanım amaçları ile internet bağımlılıkları arasındaki ilişkinin
incelenmesi. Journal of Instructional Technologies & Teacher Education, 3(2), 17-28.

Gezgin, D. M., Hamutoglu, N. B., Gemikonakli, O., & Raman, I. (2017). Social networks users: fear
of missing out in preservice teachers. Journal of Education and Practice, 8(17), 156-168.

Glass, R., Prichard, J., Lafortune, A. & Schwab, N. (2013). The Influence of Personalıty and Facebook
Use On Student Academıc Performance. Issues in Information Systems, 14(2), 119-126.

Gökler, M. E., Aydın, R., Ünal, E. & Metintaş, S. (2016). Determining validity and reliability of
Turkish version of Fear of Missing out Scale. Anatolian Journal of Psychiatry, 17, 53-59.

Griffiths, M. D., Kuss, D. J., & Demetrovics, Z. (2014). Social networking addiction: An overview of
preliminary findings. In K. P. Rosenberg and L. C. Feder (Eds.), Behavioral addictions:
Criteria, evidence, and treatment, (pp. 119–41). London: Academic Press.

Hadlington, L., & Scase, M. O. (2018). End-user frustrations and failures in digital technology:
exploring the role of Fear of Missing Out, Internet addiction and personality. Heliyon, 4(11),
1-18.

Hawi, N. S., & Samaha, M. (2017). The relations among social media addiction, self-esteem, and life
satisfaction in university students. Social Science Computer Review, 35(5), 576-586.

Horzum, M., Ayas, T., & Padır, M. (2017). Beş Faktör Kişilik Ölçeğinin Türk Kültürüne Uyarlanması.
Sakarya University Journal of Education, 7(2), 398-408.

Hoşgör. H., Koç Tütüncü, S., Gündüz Hoşgör, D., & Tandoğan Ö. (2017). Üniversite Öğrencileri
Arasında Sosyal Medyadaki Gelişmeleri Kaçırma Korkusu Yaygınlığının Farklı Değişkenler
Açısından İncelenmesi. International Journal of Academic Value Studies, 3(17), 213-223.

Howe, N., & Strauss, W. (1991). Millennials rising: The next great generation. New York: Vintage
Original.

Jeong, H. I., & Kim, Y. (2017). The acceptance of computer technology by teachers in early childhood
education. Interactive Learning Environments, 25(4), 496-512.

Kabilan, M. K., Ahmad, N., & Abidin, M. J. Z. (2010). Facebook: An online environment for learning
of English in institutions of higher education?. The Internet and higher education, 13(4),
179-187.

Karal, H., & Kokoç, M. (2010). Üniversite öğrencilerinin sosyal ağ siteleri kullanım amaçlarını
belirlemeye yönelik bir ölçek geliştirme çalışması. Turkish Journal of Computer and
Mathematics Education, 1(3), 251-263.

Kırık, A. M., Arslan, A., Çetinkaya, A., & Mehmet, G. Ü. L. (2015). A quantitative research on the
level of social media addiction among young people in Turkey. International Journal of
Science Culture and Sport (IntJSCS), 3(3), 108-122.

Koc, M., & Gulyagci, S. (2013). Facebook addiction among Turkish college students: The role of
psychological health, demographic, and Usage Characteristics. Cyberpsychology, Behavior,
and Social Networking, 16(4), 279–284.

259
This document downloaded from 96.253.117.48 [2 times] Midlothian / United States on Fri, 10 Apr 2020 21:38:32 +0300
International Journal of Progressive Education, Volume 16 Number 2, 2020
© 2020 INASED

Kuss, D. J., & Griffiths, M. D. (2011). Online social networking and addiction—a review of the
psychological literature. International journal of environmental research and public
health, 8(9), 3528-3552.

Kuss, D. J., & Griffiths, M. D. (2017). Social networking sites and addiction: Ten lessons
learned. International journal of environmental research and public health, 14(3), 311.

Kuss, D. J., Griffiths, M. D., Karila, L., & Billieux, J. (2014). Internet addiction: A systematic review
of epidemiological research for the last decade. Current Pharmaceutical Design, 20, 4026–
52.

Lambić, D. (2016). Correlation between Facebook use for educational purposes and academic
performance of students. Computers in Human Behavior, 61, 313-320.

Lee, C. S., & Long, M. (2012). News sharing in social media: The effect of gratifications and prior
experience. Computers in Human Behavior, 28(2), 331–339.

Lenhart, A., & Madden, M. (2007). Teens, Privacy & Online Social Networks: How Teens Manage
Their Online Identities and Personal Information in the Age of MySpace (Pew Internet &
American Life Project, April 18, 2007).

Lounsbury, J. W., & Gibson, L. W. (2009). Personal style inventory: A personality measurement
System for work and school settings. Knoxville, TN: Resource Associates Inc.

Mccrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. (1987). Validation of the Five-Factor Model of Personality Across
Instruments and Observers. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52(1), 81–90

Nyland, R., Marvez, R., & Beck, J. (2007). MySpace: Social networking or social isolation? Paper
presented at the Midwinter Conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and
Mass Communication, Reno, NV.

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.

Paul, J. A., Baker, H. M., & Cochran, J. D. (2012). Effect of online social networking on student
academic performance. Computers in Human Behavior, 28(6), 2117-2127.

Pantic, I. (2014). Online social networking and mental health. CyberPsychology, Behavior, and Social
Networking, 17, 652–657.

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, 1841-1848.

Rosen, L. D., Mark Carrier, L., & Cheever, N. A. (2013). Facebook and texting made me do it: Media-
induced task switching while studying. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(3), 948–958.

Ryan, T., & Xenos, S. (2011). Who uses Facebook? An investigation into the relationship between the
Big Five, shyness, narcissism, loneliness, and Facebook usage. Computers in human
behavior, 27(5), 1658-1664.

Ryan, T., Chester, A., Reece, J., & Xenos, S. (2014). The uses and abuses of Facebook: A review of
Facebook addiction. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 3(3), 133–148.

Solmaz, B., Tekin, G., Herzem, Z., & Demir, M. (2013). İnternet ve Sosyal Medya Kullanımı Üzerine
Bir Uygulama. Selçuk üniversitesi iletişim fakültesi akademik dergisi, 7(4), 23-32.

260
This document downloaded from 96.253.117.48 [2 times] Midlothian / United States on Fri, 10 Apr 2020 21:38:32 +0300
 International Journal of Progressive Education, Volume 16 Number 2, 2020
© 2020 INASED

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.

Şahin, C., & Yağcı, M. (2017). Sosyal medya bağımlılığı ölçeği-yetişkin formu: Geçerlilik ve
güvenirlik çalışması. Ahi Evran Üniversitesi Kırşehir Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 14(1), 523-
538.

Tokunaga, R. S. (2011). Social networking site or social surveillance site? Understanding the use of
interpersonal electronic surveillance in romantic relationships. Computers in Human
Behavior, 27(2), 705–713.

Valkenburg, P. M., Peter, J., & Schouten, A. P. (2006). Friend networking sites and their relationship
to adolescents’ well-being and social self-esteem. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 9(5), 584–
590.

Vural, A. B. Z. & Bat, M. (2010). Yeni Bir İletişim Ortamı Olarak Sosyal Medya: Ege Üniversitesi
İletişim Fakültesine Yönelik Bir Araştırma. Journal of Yasar University, 20(5), 3348‐3382.

We are Social (2018). Digital in 2018 in Western Asia. Retrivied from

https://www.slideshare.net/wearesocial/digital-in-2018-in-western-asia-part-1-northwest-
86865983

Wilson, K., Fornasier, S., & White, K. M. (2010). Psychological predictors of young adults' use of
social networking sites. Cyberpsychology, behavior, and social networking, 13(2), 173-177.

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.

Xu, R., Frey, R. M., Fleisch, E., & Ilic, A. (2016). Understanding the impact of personality traits on
mobile app adoption–Insights from a large-scale field study. Computers in Human Behavior,
62, 244-256.

Yang, S. C., & Tung, C. J. (2007). Comparison of Internet addicts and non-addicts in Taiwanese high
school. Computers in Human Behavior, 23(1), 79-96.

Young, K. S. (2009) Internet addiction: diagnosis and treatment consideration. Journal of

Contemporary Psychotherapy, 39, 241-246.

Zheng, X., & Lee, M. K. (2016). Excessive use of mobile social networking sites: Negative
consequences on individuals. Computers in Human Behavior, 65, 65-76.

261
This document downloaded from 96.253.117.48 [2 times] Midlothian / United States on Fri, 10 Apr 2020 21:38:32 +0300