Examining the Pathways to Social Media FOMO: Mediation Effects of Passive Engagement and Upward Social Comparisons

作者：Qiuqiang Zheng, Weiwei Yang, Tong Li, Zhihang Liu, Lei Zhang · 发表于：International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1080/10447318.2025.2499156 · 被引用次数：4 · 研究领域：Impact of Technology on Adolescents、Social Media and Politics、Technology Adoption and User Behaviour

This study examines how passive engagement with mobile short-video platforms and upward social comparison mediate the relationship between interpersonal curiosity and social media-induced Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) among university students. Data were collected from 1,051 students in Guangdong Province using validated scales. Analyses conducted with SPSS 21.0 and the Process macro (Model 6) revealed that interpersonal curiosity significantly predicts FOMO. Moreover, this relationship is partially mediated by passive engagement and upward social comparison. The findings underscore interpersonal curiosity as a key factor contributing to social media FOMO, indirectly shaped by users’ passive behaviors and comparative tendencies online.