Fear of missing out (FOMO) and impulsive buying behavior: The role of social media, self-control, and socio-economic factors

Abstract

Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) has become an important psychological factor that influences consumer behavior, especially in digital markets. With the rapid growth of social media, FOMO is increasingly associated with impulsive buying behavior. Based on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) framework, this study examines the effect of FOMO on impulse buying behavior (IBB), the mediating role of social media engagement (SME), and the moderating role of self-control (SC). The study uses data collected from 212 social media users and applies Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to test the proposed model. The results show that FOMO has a significant positive effect on both SME (β = 0.618, p < 0.001) and IBB (β = 0.435, p < 0.001). In addition, SME partially mediates the relationship between FOMO and IBB (β = 0.353, p < 0.001). The findings also indicate that self-control weakens the effect of FOMO on IBB (β = -0.278, p < 0.01), meaning that individuals with higher self-control are less likely to engage in impulsive buying due to FOMO. Furthermore, age significantly moderates the relationship between FOMO and IBB, with younger consumers showing a stronger effect (β = 0.521, p < 0.001, Z-score = 4.612), while gender, education, and income do not have significant moderating effects. This study contributes to the literature by providing a comprehensive view of the role of FOMO in digital consumer behavior and highlighting the psychological processes behind impulsive buying on social media. It also offers practical implications for marketers, policymakers, and consumer protection agencies.