From Imagination to Buying Things: Exploring the Moderation Role of Fear of Missing Out in Parasocial Relationship and Purchasing Intention

Abstract

s One of the unique research topics studied is purchasing merchandise among fandoms or communities that have specific interests, such as cartoons, anime, or celebrities. The satisfaction one gets and the feeling of happiness from being attached to one's idol is one of the factors that makes someone willing to spend money to buy idol items. This purchasing behavior has multifaceted causes, one of which is caused by parasocial relationships. Parasocial relationships are defined as socio-emotional interactions with fictional characters like cartoons, anime, or celebrities and are perceived as two-way interactions despite being one-sided. This phenomenon raises questions about when individuals experiencing PSRs may be satisfied purchasing character-related items. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the influence of parasocial relationships on purchasing intentions and the potential moderating role of FOMO among 200 early adults aged 18 to 25. Data analysis in this research employs a moderation model using Process by Hayes in SPSS 22.0. Previous studies have identified how parasocial relationships can increase individuals' intentions to buy character merchandise. The hypothesis suggests that fear of missing out can strengthen the experience of someone with an inner attachment to their idol, which will make them buy goods to support their idol. Furthermore, this research can deepen our understanding of how parasocial relationships influence the intention to purchase character-related items. This study can expand the study of fandom to maximize the potential to increase subjective well-being and happiness by looking at the uniqueness of fandoms.