Are You Hooked to the ‘Gram’? Exploring the Correlation between Loneliness, the Fear of Missing Out, and Instagram Usage among Young Indians
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5294/pacla.2022.25.2.5Keywords:
Instagram, social media, India, young people, loneliness, fear of missing out, FoMOAbstract
The amount of time spent on Instagram by young people in India has grown exponentially. This social media platform is a sea of visuals that reflect the activities people are engaging in. The constant viewing of other people’s lives can lead to a feeling of dissatisfaction about one’s own life. The Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) emerges when an individual who is unable to participate in or engage with the activities of others, experiences feelings of loneliness and isolation. This study aims to examine the association between the time spent on Instagram and its effect on FoMO and Loneliness. The study sample consisted of 401 participants, primarily 18–24 years old, collected via convenience sampling methods. The single item Fear of Missing Out short form (FoMOsf) and the three-item Loneliness scale were administered to participants to measure FoMO and loneliness, respectively. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. A one-way analysis of variance was computed between the time one spends on Instagram and the variables of FoMO and loneliness. The analysis uncovered a statistically significant difference between the increasing amount of time spent on Instagram, that is, less than one hour, 1–2 hours, and three or more hours for FoMO [F (2,398) = 17.92, p < 0.05] and loneliness [F (2,398) = 3.57, p ≤ 0.029]. Therefore, more time spent on Instagram results in individuals experiencing significantly greater levels of FoMO and loneliness.
Downloads
References
Abel, J. P., Buff, C. L., & Burr, S. A. (2016). Social media and the fear of missing out: Scale development and assessment. Journal of Business & Economics Research, 14(1), 33-44. https://doi.org/10.19030/jber.v14i1.9554
Abbott, W., Donaghey, J., Hare, J., & Hopkins, P. (2013). An Instagram is worth a thousand words: An industry panel and audience Q&A. Library Hi Tech News, 30(7), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHTN-08-2013-0047
Appel, H., Gerlach, L. A., & Crusius, J. (2016). The interplay between Facebook use, social comparison, envy, and depression. Current Opinion in Psychology, 9, 44-49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2015.10.006
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
Belk, R. W. (1988). Possessions and the extended self. Journal of Consumer Research, 15(2), 139-168. https://doi.org/10.1086/209154
Blachnio, A., Przepiorka, A., Balakier, E., & Boruch, W. (2016). Who discloses the most on Facebook? Computers in Human Behaviour, 55(Part B), 664-667. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.10.007
Blachnio, A., Przepiorka, A., Boruch, W., & Bałakier, E. (2016). Self- presentation styles, privacy, and loneliness as predictors of Facebook use in young people. Personality and Individual Differences, 94, 26-31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.12.051
Cooper, A. (2017). What is brain hacking? Tech insiders on why you should care [video]. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/brain-hacking-tech-insiders-60-minutes/
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(1), 119-135. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcc4.12109
Clement, J. (2020, July 24). Countries with the most Instagram users 2020. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/578364/countries-with-most-instagram-users/
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic Motivation and Self- Determination in Human Behavior. Plenum Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2271-7
Dibb, B., & Foster, M. (2021). Loneliness and Facebook use: The role of social comparison and rumination. Heliyon, 7(1), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e05999
eMarketer Editors (2019, May 27). eMarketer reduces US Time spent estimates for Facebook and Snapchat: Instagram bucks trend will grow by 1 minute this year. eMarketer. https://www.emarketer.com/content/emarketer-reduces-us-time-spent-estimates-for-facebook-and-snapchat
Fardouly, J., Diedrichs, P. C., Vartanian, L. R., & Halliwell, E. (2015). Social comparisons on social media: The impact of Facebook on young women’s body image concerns and mood. Body Image, 13, 38-45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2014.12.002
Frison, E., & Eggermont, S. (2017). Browsing, posting and liking on Instagram: The reciprocal relationships between different types of Instagram use and adolescents ‘depressed mood. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 20(10), 603-609. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2017.0156
Hampus, J., & Lood Thelandersson, E. (2020). Relating URL to IRL: Social media usage and FoMO’s associations to adolescent well-being [LUP Student Papers, Lund University Libraries]. https://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/search/publication/9001526
Haynes, T. (2018, May 1). Dopamine, smartphones & you: A battle for your time. Harvard University. https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2018/dopamine-smartphones-battle-time/
Hootsuite. (2021, January 27). Instagram demographics in 2021: Important user stats for marketers. https://hootsuite.widen.net/s/zcdrtxwczn/digital2021_globalreport_en
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
Hughes, M. E., Waite, L. J., Hawkley, L. C., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2004). A short scale for measuring loneliness in large surveys: Results from two population-based studies. Research on Aging, 26(6), 655–672. https://doi.org/10.1177/0164027504268574
Kohler, M. T., Turner, I. N., & Webster, G. D. (2020). Social comparison and state-trait dynamics: Viewing image-conscious Instagram accounts affects college students’ mood and anxiety. Psychology of Popular Media. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000310
Kraut, R., Patterson, M., Lundmark, V., Kiesler, S., Mukopadhyay, T., & Scherlis, W. (1998). Internet paradox. A social technology that reduces social involvement and psychological well-being? American Psychologist, 53(9), 1017-1031. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.53.9.1017
Kruger, D. J., & Djerf J. M. (2016). Hing ringxiety: Attachment anxiety predicts experiences of phantom cell phone ringing. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, 19(1), 56-59. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2015.0406
Lup, K., Trub, L., & Rosenthal, L. (2015). Instagram #Instasad?: Exploring associations among Instagram use, depressive symptoms, negative social comparison and strangers followed. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, 18(5), 247-252. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2014.0560
Lutz, S., & Schneider, M. F. (2020) Is receiving Dislikes in social media still better than being ignored? The effects of ostracism and rejection on need threat and coping responses online. Media Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2020.1799409
Madden, M., Lenhart, A., Cortesi, S., Gasser, U., Duggan, M., Smith, A., & Beaton, M. (2013, May 21). Teens, social media and privacy. Pew Research Centre. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2013/05/21/teens-social-media-and-privacy/
Mahajan, R. (2013). Narcissism, loneliness and social networking site use: relationships and differences. AP J Psychological Medicine,14(2), 134-40.
Mahoney, J., Le Moignan, E., Long, K., Wilson, M., Barnett, J., Vines, J., & Lawson, S. (2019). Feeling alone among 317 million others: Disclosures of loneliness on Twitter. Computers in Human Behavior, 98, 20–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.03.024
Moore, K., & Craciun, G. (2020). Fear of missing out and personality as predictors of social networking sites usage: The Instagram case. Psychological Reports. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033294120936184
Morahan-Martin, J., & Schumacher, P. (2000). Incidence and correlates of pathological Internet use among college students. Computers in Human Behavior, 16(1), 13-29. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0747-5632(99)00049-7
Nie, N. H. (2001). Sociability, interpersonal relations, and the internet: Reconciling conflicting findings. American Behavioral Scientist, 45(3), 420-435. https://doi.org/10.1177/00027640121957277
Nie, N. H., Hillygus, D. S., & Erbring, L. (2002). Internet use, personal relations and sociability: A time diary study. In B. Wellman & C. Haythornthwaite (Ed.), The internet in everyday life (pp. 215-243). John Wiley.
Nowland, R., Necka, E. A., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2017). Loneliness and social Internet use: Pathways to reconnection in a digital world? Perspectives on Psychological Science, 13(2), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691617713052
Perlman, D., & Peplau, L. A. (1981). Toward a social psychology of loneliness. In R. Gilmour and S. Duck (Ed.), Personal relationships: Personal relations in disorder (pp. 31-56). Academic Press.
Pittman, M., & Reich, B. (2016). Social media and loneliness: Why an Instagram picture may be worth more than a thousand Twitter words. Computers in Human Behavior, 62, 155-167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.03.084
Primack, B. A., Shensa, A., Sidani, J. E., Whaite, E. O., Lin, L. Y., Rosen, D., Colditz, J. B., Radovic, A. M., & Miller, E., (2017). Social media use and perceived social isolation among young adults in the US. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 53(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2017.01.010
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
Rajan, B. (2018). Fitness selfie and anorexia: A study of ‘fitness’ selfies of women on Instagram and its contribution to anorexia nervosa. Punctum. International Journal of Semiotics, 4(2), 66-89. https://doi.org/10.18680/hss.2018.0020
Reece, A. G., & Danforth, C. M. (2017). Instagram photos reveal predictive markers of depression. EPJ Data Science, 6(15), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1140/epjds/s13688-017-0110-z
Reiss, M. V., & Tsvetkova, M. (2019). Perceiving education from Facebook profile pictures. New Media and Society, 22(3), 550-570. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444819868678
Riehm, K. E., Feder, K. A., Tormohlen, K. N., Crum, R. M., Young, A. S., Green, K. M., Pacek, L. R., La Flair, L. N., & Mojtabai, R. (2019). Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among US Youth. JAMA Psychiatry, 76, 1266-1273. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.2325
Riordan, B., Cody, L., Flett, J., Conner, T., Hunter, J., & Scarf, D. (2018). The development of a single item FoMO (Fear of Missing Out) scale. Current Psychology, 39(4), 1215-1220. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-018-9824-8
Rozgonjuk, D., Sindermann, C., Elhai, J. D., & Montag, C. (2020). Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) and social media’s impact on daily-life and productivity at work: Do WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat Use Disorders mediate that association? Addictive Behaviors, 110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106487
Russell, D., Peplau, L. A., & Cutrona, C. E. (1980). The revised UCLA Loneliness Scale: Concurrent and discriminant validity evidence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39(3), 472-480. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.39.3.472
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 Behaviour, 27(5),1658-64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2011.02.004
Salomon, D. (2013). Moving on Facebook: Using Instagram to connect with undergraduates and engage in teaching and learning. College & Research Libraries News, 74(8), 408-412. https://doi.org/10.5860/crln.74.8.8991
Sheldon, P., & Bryant. K. (2016). Instagram: Motives for its use and relationship to narcissism and contextual age. Computers in Human Behavior, 58, 89-97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.12.059
Song, H., Zmyslinski-Seelig, A., Kim, J., Drent, A., Victor, A., Omori, K., & Allen, M. (2014). Does Facebook make you lonely?: A meta analysis. Computers in Human Behavior, 36, 446-452. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.04.011
Stapleton, P., Luiz, G., & Chatwin, H. (2017). General validation: The role of social comparison in use of Instagram among engineering adults. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, 20(3), 142-149. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2016.0444
Tandoc, E. C., Ferrucci, P., & Duffy, M. (2015). Facebook use, envy, and depression among college students: Is Facebooking depressing? Computers in Human Behavior, 43, 139–146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.10.053
Turkle, S. (2012). Alone together: Why we expect more from technology and less from each other. Basic Books.
Twenge, J. M., Joiner, T. E., Rogers, M. L., & Martin, G. N. (2017). Increases in depressive symptoms, suicide-related outcomes, and suicide rates among U.S. adolescents after 2010 and links to increased new media screen time. Clinical Psychological Science, 6(1), 3–17. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702617723376
Vogel, E., Rose, J., Roberts, L., & Eckles, K. (2014). Social comparison, social media, and self-esteem. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 3(2). 206-222. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000047
Wang, K., Frison, E., Eggermont, S., & Vandenbosch, L. (2018). Active public Facebook use and adolescents’ feelings of loneliness: Evidence for a curvilinear relationship. Journal of Adolescence, 67, 35-44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2018.05.008
Weiss, R. S. (1973). Loneliness: The experience of emotional and social isolation. The MIT Press.
Winter, J. (2013, July 23). Selfie-Loathing: Instagram is even more depressing than Facebook. Here’s why. Slate.
Yang, C. C. (2016). Instagram use, loneliness and social comparison orientation: Interact and browse on social media, but don’t compare. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, 19(2), 703-708. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2016.0201
Yang, C. C., Holden, S. M., Carter, M. D. K., Webb, J. J. (2018). Social media social comparison and identity distress at the college transition: A dual-path model. Journal of Adolescence, 69, 92-102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2018.09.007
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Palabra Clave
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
1. Proposed Policy for Journals That Offer Open Access
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
