Fear of Missing Out, Social Media Engagement and Social Anxiety Among Filipino First Year College Students: A Mediation Analysis

Social media use is rampant in today's generation. In the Philippines, which is one of the countries with the greatest number of people using social networking sites (SNS), it was found that 50% of Filipinos aged 14 to 23 use the internet. People's upsurge reliance on digital technology and social media engagement (SME) seems to be affecting certain aspects of their lives, especially psychologically. This study identified the significant positive relationship between (1) SME and social anxiety (SA); (2) SME and fear of missing out (FoMO); (3) FoMO and SA; and (4) FoMO as mediator to the relationship between SME and SA. The data gathering was conducted through online forms and standardized questionnaires (SMEQ, SIAS, and FoMOS), served as main instruments. The 263 respondents were first-year college students from private and public universities and colleges in Calamba City, Laguna and were selected using convenience sampling. The data were analyzed through the use of PLS-SEM. This study revealed that excessive exposure to social media increases the risk of having the FoMO (β = 0.133; p = 0.014) and demonstrated that young adults are more likely to develop SA if they have FoMO (β = 0.367; p<0.001). However, this study did not support the significant positive relationship between SME and SA (β = 0.133; p = 0.014) and the mediating effect of FoMO on the relationship between SME and SA (β = 0.049; p=0.130). The study's findings evidently contribute to the knowledge about the relation of social media to mental health, but also help conclude that other possible factors may affect the said variables and recommend a much in-depth investigation by future researchers.