Are You Hooked to the ‘Gram’? Exploring the Correlation between Loneliness, the Fear of Missing Out, and Instagram Usage among Young Indians

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 F...

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Main Authors: Benson Rajan, Lydia Jose, Thejas Sundar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidad de La Sabana 2022-06-01
Series:Palabra Clave
Subjects:
Online Access:https://palabraclave.unisabana.edu.co/index.php/palabraclave/article/view/17095
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author Benson Rajan
Lydia Jose
Thejas Sundar
author_facet Benson Rajan
Lydia Jose
Thejas Sundar
author_sort Benson Rajan
collection DOAJ
description 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.
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spelling doaj.art-801ff971e5e74a3fa3f98b879702cc5c2022-12-22T00:55:09ZengUniversidad de La SabanaPalabra Clave0122-82852027-534X2022-06-0125210.5294/pacla.2022.25.2.5Are You Hooked to the ‘Gram’? Exploring the Correlation between Loneliness, the Fear of Missing Out, and Instagram Usage among Young IndiansBenson Rajan0Lydia Jose1Thejas Sundar2O P Jindal Global UniversityIILM UniversityInstitute for Social and Economic ChangeThe 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. https://palabraclave.unisabana.edu.co/index.php/palabraclave/article/view/17095Instagramsocial mediaIndiayoung peoplelonelinessfear of missing out
spellingShingle Benson Rajan
Lydia Jose
Thejas Sundar
Are You Hooked to the ‘Gram’? Exploring the Correlation between Loneliness, the Fear of Missing Out, and Instagram Usage among Young Indians
Palabra Clave
Instagram
social media
India
young people
loneliness
fear of missing out
title Are You Hooked to the ‘Gram’? Exploring the Correlation between Loneliness, the Fear of Missing Out, and Instagram Usage among Young Indians
title_full Are You Hooked to the ‘Gram’? Exploring the Correlation between Loneliness, the Fear of Missing Out, and Instagram Usage among Young Indians
title_fullStr Are You Hooked to the ‘Gram’? Exploring the Correlation between Loneliness, the Fear of Missing Out, and Instagram Usage among Young Indians
title_full_unstemmed Are You Hooked to the ‘Gram’? Exploring the Correlation between Loneliness, the Fear of Missing Out, and Instagram Usage among Young Indians
title_short Are You Hooked to the ‘Gram’? Exploring the Correlation between Loneliness, the Fear of Missing Out, and Instagram Usage among Young Indians
title_sort are you hooked to the gram exploring the correlation between loneliness the fear of missing out and instagram usage among young indians
topic Instagram
social media
India
young people
loneliness
fear of missing out
url https://palabraclave.unisabana.edu.co/index.php/palabraclave/article/view/17095
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