SOCIAL MEDIA INTENSITY, FEAR OF MISSING OUT, AND LIFE SATISFACTION: A STUDY OF PAKISTANI UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

Social media use among university students continues to rise, prompting closer scrutiny of how this heavier engagement relates to psychological well-being. This study examined the relationships between social media intensity, fear of missing out (FOMO), and life satisfaction among university students, with particular attention to whether FOMO mediates the link between social media intensity and life satisfaction. A total of N = 307 university students took part in a cross-sectional survey using three instruments: the Social Media Intensity Scale, the Fear of Missing Out Scale, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Participants reported moderate levels of both social media intensity and FOMO. Social media intensity was strongly correlated with FOMO (r = .48, p < .001) and accounted for roughly 23% of the variance in FOMO scores. Unexpectedly, FOMO was positively , rather than negatively , associated with life satisfaction (r = .13, p = .022). A Baron and Kenny mediation analysis found no evidence that FOMO mediated this relationship: its effect on life satisfaction dropped to non-significance once social media intensity was entered into the model. No significant gender differences emerged for either variable. Given the borderline reliability of the Social Media Intensity Scale (α = .685), these findings warrant cautious interpretation. Taken together, the results run counter to the common assumption that heavier social media use undermines psychological well-being and point instead to the need for longitudinal research to clarify this relationship over time.