Joy of Missing Out (JOMO) and Its Role in Reducing Social Media Addiction: The Serial Mediating Role of Loneliness and Psychological Distress

Abstract

The widespread use of social media has led to growing concerns about its impact on mental health. As digital dependency rises, the Joy of Missing Out (JOMO) has emerged as a potential means to help individuals find satisfaction in offline activities and reduce social media addiction. This study examines the serial mediating role of loneliness and psychological distress in the relationship between JOMO and social media addiction while also validating the JOMO scale’s psychometric properties. Data were collected from 932 participants across 29 provinces in Türkiye. Study I confirmed the JOMO scale’s reliability and validity through confirmatory factor analysis, measurement invariance testing, and Item Response Theory. In Study II, structural equation modeling revealed that JOMO was negatively associated with social media addiction through lower loneliness and psychological distress. These findings suggest that JOMO may help reduce social media addiction and promote a better balance between online and offline activities.

Keywords

Joy of Missing Out social media addiction loneliness psychological distress digital well-being

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