Fear of missing out and psychological well-being: Examining the dual pathways of problematic social media use and digital burnout

The present study examined how fear of missing out (FoMO) relates to psychological well-being in a collectivist context through a sequential moderated mediation framework. Grounded in self-determination theory, the study assessed whether FoMO related to well-being indirectly via problematic social media use (PSMU) and digital burnout (emotional exhaustion), and whether free time management (FTM; goal-setting and evaluation) moderated these associations. Cross-sectional data were collected from 570 sports science undergraduates in Türkiye. Results indicated that (i) FoMO was positively associated with PSMU, (ii) PSMU was positively associated with digital burnout, and (iii) digital burnout was negatively associated with well-being. This resulted in a sequential indirect association from FoMO to well-being via PSMU and digital burnout. Results also indicated that FoMO was indirectly associated with lower psychological well-being via higher PSMU and digital burnout. However, when these indirect associations were accounted for, FoMO showed a small positive direct association with well-being, a suppressor-like pattern consistent with socially oriented motivation in collectivist settings. FTM moderated several paths, buffering some associations while strengthening others, indicating conditional indirect associations. These findings nuance deficit-only views of FoMO and its socially-oriented aspects within collectivist settings and suggest that integrating digital literacy with time-management training may further support student well-being.