Social Media Usage, Fear of Missing Out and Personality: A Comparative Study of Gen Z and Millennials

Abstract

The rapidly growing and technologically advancing world holds huge significance in the lives of people nowadays. Individuals are being affected by the so-called ‘Digital Era’, so much so that their social and behavioral tendencies have slowly started shaping in accordance to the increasing dependency on digital devices and the constant urge to be ‘online’. The present research attempts to investigate how personality factors affect the daily usage of (or time spent on) Social Networking Sites (SNS) (Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp). The research also aims to do an inter-generational comparison between Gen-Z (15 to 25 years) and Millennials (26 to 41 years) on their social media usage and Fear of Missing Out (FoMO), to understand how the daily usage of social media platforms and one’s level of Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) is affected by age. The study was based on a Quantitative research paradigm, using survey questionnaire technique for data collection. The 10 Item Fear of Missing Out Scale and the 50 Item IPIP version of the Big Five Markers Questionnaire were used. A semi structured tool was used for measuring social media usage. A total of 306 responses (156: Gen Z, 150: Millennials) were received and analyzed. Data was analyzed using descriptive and correlational analyses. The results obtained showed a significant positive correlation between Time spent on SNS and FoMO, and significant negative correlations between Time spent on SNS and Emotional Stability, and between Time spent on SNS and Extraversion. The Time spent on SNS and the level of FoMO also differed significantly across both the generations, wherein Gen Z showed significantly higher Time spent and FoMO than Millennials.