Comparative Analysis of Students' Psychological Fear of Missing Out in E-Learning Platforms With and Without Leaderboards

Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) describes the feeling people get when they worry about missing something important or being left out. In digital settings and gamified systems, FoMO often keeps users engaged. This paper explores how FoMO affects engagement when leaderboards are present compared to when they are not. Leaderboards show users' rankings based on their performance, making them a key part of gamification by highlighting competition and progress. However, the effects of leaderboards can be both positive and negative. FoMO can, therefore, prompt users to frequently access a leaderboard and motivate them to perform in a way that keeps them at the top and prevents others from surpassing them. This typically results in a short-term increase in engagement and motivation. However, the pressure of constant comparison may, unfortunately, lead to stress and, eventually, anger, i.e., the case where users in lower ranks temporarily give up participation. In systems where leaderboards are not available, the pressure of competition is reduced. Thus, users may feel more at ease, making them more willing to be motivated by personal goals or teamwork, which can result in long-term engagement, although the immediate performance may not be as high. FoMO is depicted in this study as neither good nor bad, depending on how it is triggered by system design. Leaderboards may motivate some, while they may make others unhappy.