Abstract
In a preliminary study conducted on 35 students at Universitas Negeri Semarang, it was found that a majority of respondents (97.1%) were female, aged 19-24 years. The study showed that all respondents felt entertained by the internet, with a significant portion using it as a diversion during sadness or boredom. Concerns about missing out on information online were prevalent, with many experiencing discomfort when unable to access the internet. The research aimed to explore the relationship between loneliness and the Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) among these students. Utilizing a sample of 400 respondents selected through cluster random sampling, loneliness and FoMO were measured using respective scales with reliabilities of 0.755 and 0.765. Spearman's Rank correlation with SPSS 21 software revealed a significant positive correlation (r=0.311, p<0.05) between loneliness and FoMO, with both variables predominantly falling in the moderate category among the students.
Abstrak: Berdasarkan studi pendahuluan yang dilakukan pada 35 mahasiswa Universitas Negeri Semarang, ditemukan bahwa sebagian besar responden (97,1%) adalah perempuan berusia 19-24 tahun. Studi tersebut menunjukkan bahwa semua responden merasa terhibur oleh internet, dengan proporsi yang signifikan menggunakannya sebagai pengalihan saat sedih atau bosan. Kekhawatiran tentang ketinggalan informasi online cukup umum, dengan banyak yang merasa tidak nyaman ketika tidak bisa mengakses internet. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengeksplorasi hubungan antara kesepian dan Rasa Takut Ketinggalan Informasi (Fear of Missing Out - FoMO) di antara mahasiswa tersebut. Menggunakan sampel 400 responden yang dipilih melalui sampel kluster acak, kesepian dan FoMO diukur menggunakan skala masing-masing dengan reliabilitas 0,755 dan 0,765. Korelasi Spearman's Rank dengan perangkat lunak SPSS 21 mengungkapkan korelasi positif yang signifikan (r=0,311, p<0,05) antara kesepian dan FoMO, dengan kedua variabel terutama jatuh dalam kategori sedang di antara mahasiswa.
Introduction
The era of globalization is developing at a rapid pace, marked by advances in various fields, especially in the area of communication and information technology. Currently, communication and information technology are becoming more sophisticated, and it is this sophistication that allows adolescents to use technological facilities such as the internet to meet their needs. With the internet, all human needs can be resolved effectively, ranging from meeting daily needs, socializing, searching for information, to fulfilling entertainment needs. Additionally, the presence of the internet in society is increasingly utilized as social media, because with social media, people are free to roam various parts of the world to share and seek information and communicate with many people without significant barriers in terms of cost, distance, and time (Soliha, 2015).
The internet is used not only for sharing data but also provides various sites such as social networks including Facebook, Path, Instagram, Twitter, and Line, which are currently very popular among teenagers. Moreover, the internet also serves as a way to alleviate loneliness and as a substitute for face-to-face relationships that are not obtained in daily life due to fear of direct contact with others, preferring only online communication (Soliha, 2015). The internet is an advancement in information and communication technology that provides an opportunity to obtain information quickly, accurately, and affordably. In addition, the internet greatly facilitates its users, especially teenagers. Adolescents are one of the user groups of internet facilities who are not yet able to filter beneficial internet activities. Teenagers also tend to be very easily influenced by the social environment without first considering the positive or negative impacts of internet activities (Ekasari & Dharmawan, 2012).
According to a survey conducted by APJII (2012), the users with the highest internet intensity are those with a higher level of education. This means that the higher a person's education level, the more frequently they access or use the internet. One population that meets these criteria is university students. Students are a group that appears to be very vulnerable to internet dependence compared to other community groups. Essentially, students are in the emerging adulthood phase. Emerging adulthood is the phase where individuals are between 18 and 25 years of age (Arnett, 2000). During this phase, students are undergoing the process of forming self-identity, striving to live independently by distancing themselves from the dominance or influence of their parents.
According to Marketeers (2006), the most internet users among teenagers and young adults are students. Students are pupils who are studying at a higher education institution. The age range of students falls within the age range that most accesses the internet, which is 64.4 percent between the ages of 12-34 years. Students have a very high need for information and entertainment. Moreover, the ease of internet access makes students tend to continue using the internet, and therefore, they are prone to internet addiction. The lack of student knowledge about internet addiction and the negative impacts that can arise from excessive internet use can disrupt various aspects of life, both social, individual, and academic.
According to Young (2010), excessive use of the internet/social media can have negative effects such as feelings of restlessness, gloominess, depression, or irritability. Additionally, in the research by Kim & Cha (2016), there are several risk factors for someone who is addicted to social media, namely loneliness and fear of missing out. This is reinforced by research conducted by Buglass & Binder (2017), which shows that high engagement in social networking is partly due to what is called 'Fear of Missing Out'. This research is also supported by studies by Ziebland & Wyke (in Virnanda, 2020), where the fear of missing out on moments can be characterized by the need to always be connected to what others are doing, to avoid missing out. The strong fear of losing moments has been associated with a high level of engagement in social media, meaning that the more a person uses social media, the higher they are to miss out. Some teenagers report that the fear of missing out on moments can cause them anxiety and a sense of incapacity.
According to Przybylski (2013), Fear of Missing Out is a pervasive fear that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent. Higher levels of Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) have been associated with greater engagement with Facebook, lower mood, lower well-being, and lower life satisfaction. Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) is a social anxiety syndrome characterized by an individual's desire to continuously connect with whatever others are doing. Individuals suffering from this social anxiety disorder will experience feelings of low self-esteem, humiliation, and depression. If the desire to obtain information from the internet is not met, it will cause uncomfortable feelings, such as feelings of anxiety or restlessness. The fear of lagging in information is one of the characteristics of Fear of Missing Out (FoMO). From the fear of being left behind in information or feeling less up-to-date. Individuals experiencing Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) will continue to be attracted to always using the internet, which can cause individuals to tend to experience internet/social media addiction. Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) has become a new phenomenon that emerged amid the dominance of the millennial generation.
Moreover, a person can be said to be addicted to the internet if the use can be more than thirty minutes a day or if viewed from the frequency, then the use can be more than three times a day (Ma’rifatul Laili & Nuryono, 2015). This is reinforced by research conducted by Abel (2016) stating that an individual can be said to experience Fear of Missing Out or FoMO if the individual exhibits symptoms such as not being able to detach from the phone, anxious and restless if they have not checked their social media accounts, individuals experiencing Fear of Missing Out will prioritize communicating with their peers on social media, and are very obsessed with the status and posts of others, always wanting to exist by sharing or distributing every activity they undertake, and the individual will feel depressed if few people view their account. In addition, the negative impact of internet addiction is the reduction of direct social interaction with friends because when gathered with friends, they play more on the phone than talk, often procrastinate work, delay doing tasks, experience insomnia or difficulty sleeping, disturb the eye health of the subject, and decrease the subject's learning achievement because when they are engrossed in playing the internet, the subject feels lazy to study (Siti & Aliffatullah, 2017).
In previous research conducted by Indira and Iwa (2018) entitled "The relationship between Fear of Missing Out and the intensity of social media use among Airlangga students", 61 students were used as subjects. The results showed a positive and significant relationship. Therefore, the higher the level of FoMO, the higher the intensity of the use of social media networks. This is reinforced by research conducted by Thomas (2020), which shows that social media use helps students who are experiencing difficulties and loneliness when transitioning from school to higher education. Social media has become the main way for students to communicate in their daily lives, and this makes students more vulnerable to developing dependence on social media (Simsek, 2019).
Przybylski (2013) stated that those who experience Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) on social media turn out to have low satisfaction of needs, mood, and life satisfaction in real life. The attachment to certain social media to the point of causing the Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) phenomenon becomes very dangerous because individuals can behave irrationally to overcome their FoMO, for example, individuals will continue to monitor their social media while driving. For such individuals, it seems impossible to be separated at all from the smartphone and social media they own, and individuals who experience FoMO will feel distressed if they do not know the latest updated news, individuals will become distressed if they miss information on their social media. In addition, there are several negative consequences caused to individuals experiencing FoMO such as identity issues, loneliness, negative self-image, feelings of inadequacy, feelings of being marginalized, and jealousy.
Aspects within Fear of Missing Out or FoMO include, firstly, the aspect of relatedness or closeness with self the psychological needs will self relate to competency and autonomy. Researchers conducted a preliminary study on FoMO in 35 students of Universitas Negeri Semarang with the following results:
| Aitem | Ya | Tidak |
| I feel entertained when using the internet | 100% | 0 |
| When I am sad, I comfort myself by posting photos, statuses, or videos on social media | 57,1% | 42,9% |
| Afraid of missing out on the latest information on the internet | 62,9% | 37,1% |
| When bored with daily routines, I choose to use the internet | 94.3% | 5,7% |
| Feel anxious and nervous when not using the internet while others do | 68,6% | 31,4% |
| Feel easily left behind with the latest information spread on the internet | 60% | 40% |
| I feel uncomfortable, anxious, and nervous when my desire to obtain information from the internet is unfulfilled | 65,7% | 34,3% |
Based on the preliminary study conducted on 35 students of Unnes, it was found that male respondents accounted for 2.9% and female respondents for 97.1%, with an age range of 19-24 years. A total of 100% of respondents felt entertained while using the internet. Furthermore, 57.1% of respondents when sad felt comforted by posting photos, statuses, or videos on social media, and 37.1% of respondents answered no. Next, 62.9% of respondents felt afraid of losing the latest information available on the internet, and 37.1% answered no. Moreover, 94.3% of respondents said when bored with daily routines, they choose to use the internet, and 5.7% answered no. Additionally, 68.6% of respondents felt anxious and nervous when not using the internet, and 41.4% answered no. Furthermore, 60% of respondents felt they easily missed the latest information spread on the internet, and 40% answered no. Also, there were 65.7% of respondents who felt uncomfortable, anxious, and restless when their desire to obtain information from the internet was unmet, and 34.3% answered no.
The study by Raharjo & Zanah (2020) mentioned that there is an influence between loneliness and Fear of Missing Out on social media addiction among students. This indicates that loneliness and fear of missing out can influence individuals to engage in negative aspects, in this case, addiction to social media. This is reinforced by the research conducted by Lou (in Krisnawati & Soetjiningsih, 2017), which showed a strong relationship between loneliness and the intensity of social media activities such as sending and sharing information. The amount of time regularly spent on social networking sites was found to be a significant factor explaining the intensity of individuals in sending photos. From the findings conducted from several studies, it can be seen that loneliness makes individuals more often involved in activities on social networks, including sharing selfie photos and sharing every moment in the social media they have.
Research by Prasetya (2014) mentioned in his findings that the internal factors of students becoming internet users are because they use the internet to escape from problems they are facing and alleviate negative feelings such as guilt, anxiety, and depression. In addition, the external factors for students becoming addicted to the internet are due to facilities and infrastructure for accessing the internet, such as support from those close to them, such as Wi-Fi signals and gadgets. Furthermore, there are other factors that can cause someone to become addicted to the internet, namely loneliness. Loneliness directly also affects online interactions; when they feel lonely, they will interact with others and express themselves as best as possible when online compared to when offline (McKenna, Green & Gleason, 2002).
From the preliminary study conducted by the researchers, there were 21 respondents, with 18 female respondents (85.7%) and 3 male respondents (14.3%). These respondents were Unnes students aged between 20-22 years. Of the 21 respondents, 33.3% said they had difficulty communicating directly. Furthermore, 66.7% of respondents said they did not have difficulty communicating directly. In addition, 66.7% of respondents said they preferred communicating through social media rather than directly. Subsequently, 33.3% of students responded that they preferred direct communication over social media.
Out of the 21 respondents, 18 responded that they felt anxious, panicky, and confused when not using social media. There was 1 respondent who said that if they did not use the internet, they felt something was missing, and 2 respondents said they felt anxious depending on the situation and conditions; if they really needed something, they would definitely feel anxious when not using social media. A total of 18 respondents said that when lonely, they chose to play on the internet or social media such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, listen to music, watch movies, and watch videos on YouTube. While 1 respondent said that when lonely, they chose to sit and think about how to get out of that uncomfortable feeling. There is 1 respondent who said that when they are lonely, they read books, write, and play music. In addition, out of the 21 respondents, they mentioned that the applications that make them spend more time on the internet are Instagram, YouTube, Telegram, Twitter, Netflix, WhatsApp, TikTok, online games, Facebook, Shopee, and Webtoon.
Hunt, Marx, Lipson, & Young (in Virnanda, 2020) stated that social media plays an important role in the level of someone's loneliness. Loneliness is living without relationships, not having the desire for intimate interpersonal relationships (Baron, 2005). This is consistent with the theory expressed by Laura, Jose & Angel (in Virnanda, 2020) where the need for relatedness or a sense of attachment also becomes one of the benchmarks for the level of someone's loneliness. The fear of missing out on moments as a situational state when psychological needs for self and relatedness are not met, where the need for relatedness becomes one of the benchmarks for the level of someone's loneliness.
Peplau & Perlman (in Margalit, 2010) mentioned that Loneliness is an unpleasant experience when an individual perceives a discrepancy between the desired social relationship patterns and the social relationships that the individual has achieved. Asher (in Margalit, 2010) mentioned that Loneliness is an overall dissatisfaction condition from the quality and quantity of reciprocal and mutually influential relationships between individuals, groups, and between individuals and groups (social interrelations of individuals).
Russell (1996) also defined loneliness as a feeling caused by the individual's personality itself, occurring because the individual does not get the desired social life in their environment, and is one of the natural emotional disturbances such as feelings of sadness, gloominess, not spirited, feeling worthless and focused on the individual's failure experienced by the individual. In addition, Austin (1983) also defined loneliness as an unpleasant emotional experience related to intimate relationships with others, social relationships with others, and feelings of not having affiliation.
According to Suparno (2007), Loneliness is a state experienced by an individual where the individual experiencing loneliness has no one to communicate with, to build brotherhood, there is an element of dryness, the heart is not calm, feeling separated from something. So it can be concluded that loneliness is a mental and emotional state primarily characterized by feelings of lack and dissatisfaction due to not having meaningful relationships with someone and there is a gap between the desired social relationships with the social relationships that the individual has.
Loneliness can be experienced by individuals of all age ranges, and based on research, most loneliness is experienced by adolescents. Parlee (1979) stated that 40,000 people experience loneliness and 79% of them are teenagers. This is in line with the Loneliness Survey conducted by the Mental Health Foundation in the UK in May 2010, out of 2256 people found 24% who felt lonely, where subjects aged 18-34 years felt lonelier than subjects over 55 years of age (Mental Health Foundation, 2010). To eliminate loneliness, teenagers actively access social media using smartphones that have become one of the irreplaceable elements in our lives. Smartphones are also used by individuals to seek emotional support and reduce negative feelings, such as loneliness (Jiang, 2018). People who experience loneliness are more likely to become relationally incompetent, and as a result, they spend less time on social activities but more time alone (Spitzberg & Canary, in Bian, 2014).
Gursoy & Bicakci (in Hidayati, 2016) mention that the differences in the level of loneliness experienced by individuals are caused by differences in economic status, family, and friendship relations. Moreover, there are many factors that cause an individual to feel lonely, one of which is the condition where the individual has to live far from their family. According to Lake (1986) in his book, the condition in which a person has to work far from home and is separated from family and friends can cause an individual to experience loneliness. This is supported by the study conducted by Baron & Byrne (2005) which states that relocating to a new location can lead to individual loneliness. While Russel, Cutrona, Rose, and Yurko (in Bednar, 2000) state that emotional loneliness correlates with the lack of closeness with people around and social loneliness correlates with the condition where a person lacks friends in their social environment. This is reinforced by research conducted by Bell (in Hidayati, 2016) explaining that individuals who experience loneliness usually have few friends, establish few friendships, and see themselves as different from people around them, and individuals who experience loneliness usually have fewer dating or partnership experiences compared to others. Such conditions are very likely to occur due to the individual's discomfort when having to be in a new social situation, thus being unable to or failing to participate in that social situation. Over time, individuals in this condition tend to refuse to interact with others around them and eventually will only have a few friends.
Candra's research (2015) regarding the correlation between loneliness and social media addiction as well as FoMO with social media addiction in Indonesia. The studies found support the existence of a positive correlation between the loneliness variable and social media addiction among teenagers. This is supported by the research conducted by Raharjo & Zanah (2020) which found that there is a significant positive relationship between the loneliness variable with social media addiction and also between the Fear of Missing Out variable with social media addiction among students.
Research was conducted by Indira and Iwa (2018) titled "The relationship between Fear of Missing Out and the intensity of social media use among Airlangga students". The results showed a positive and significant relationship. Therefore, the higher the level of FoMO in a person, the higher the intensity of their social media use. In addition, research conducted by Thomas (2020) showed that the use of social media helps students who are experiencing difficulties and loneliness when transitioning from school to higher education. When lonely, students usually choose to use social media to overcome that loneliness.
Excessive use of social media can make a person addicted to social media, which can have negative consequences and can disrupt the individual's daily activities. This is reinforced by the research by Moqbel & Kock (in Zanah & Raharjo, 2020) found that social media addiction can be broadly defined as a psychological dependence on the use of social media that interferes with other important activities and will result in negative consequences. This is also reinforced by research conducted by Andreassen (2015) individuals with social media addiction often use social media excessively so that it negatively affects their health, sleep quality, relationships, and well-being. Excessive use of social media has also been confirmed to have a positive relationship with depression, anxiety, and also stress (Budury, Fitriasari & Khamida, 2019). There are several things that can be risk factors for social media addiction, namely loneliness (Kuss & Griffiths, 2017).
Research on the relationship between Loneliness and Fear of Missing Out among students in Indonesia is still very limited. FoMO is a new issue from the behavior of cyberpsychology. Therefore, research is needed so that individuals are able to use social media properly. This research is expected to be a consideration in accessing social media wisely, so that there will be no anxiety in social media. Based on previous research, the researcher is interested in examining Loneliness as Variable X and Fear of Missing Out as variable Y. Therefore, this study is titled The Relationship between Loneliness and Fear of Missing Out among students. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between Loneliness and Fear of Missing Out among Unnes students.
Methods
The variables in this study are loneliness and fear of missing out. The loneliness variable is a subjective emotional state felt by an individual due to a mismatch between the relationships established and those desired or expected by the individual. Thus, the individual will feel emptiness, awkwardness, boredom, unhappiness, and dissatisfaction with their social relationships. Meanwhile, the Fear of Missing Out variable is a condition where an individual fears missing out on valuable moments originating from other individuals or groups in which the person cannot be present.
This study used psychological scale instruments, namely the loneliness scale and the fear of missing out scale. The creation of the Loneliness scale adapted from research by Dewi Angel (2019), which was compiled based on aspects mentioned by Austin (1983), namely (1) intimate others; (2) social others; (3) feeling of a lack of belonging and affiliation. This scale consists of 21 items, with 13 favorable items and 8 unfavorable items. Meanwhile, the Fear of Missing Out scale adapted from research by Fathur Dwi Arfianto (2021), which was compiled by modifying 10 items used in the research by Przyblylski, Murayama, DeHaan, and Gladwell (2013), which were compiled based on indicators of fear of missing out as defined by Przyblylski, Murayama, DeHaan, and Gladwell (2013). These indicators are the fear of missing out on moments from others and the desire to stay connected with what others are doing. This scale consists of 12 items, with 6 favorable items and 6 unfavorable items.
The sampling method used in this study was random sampling. The sampling method used in this research is cluster sampling (area sampling). According to Sugiyono (2018), cluster sampling is an area used to determine whether the object or data source under study is very large. Random cluster sampling is done by randomizing groups, not individual research subjects (Azwar, 2018: 123).
Results and Discussion
Normality Test Results
A normality test is a procedure conducted on the distribution of data before analysis. In this research, the One-Sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov technique was utilized for the normality test. The results of the normality test can be viewed in Table 2.
| Loneliness | Fear of Missing Out | ||
| N | 400 | 400 | |
| Normal Parameters | Mean | 32.9425 | 27.2175 |
| Std. Deviation | 5.76300 | 5.25254 | |
| Most Extreme Differences | Absolute | .082 | .106 |
| Positive | .075 | .106 | |
| Negative | -.082 | -.089 | |
| Kolmogorov-Smirnov | Z | 1.646 | 2.113 |
| Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) | .009 | .000 | |
Hypothesis Testing Results
Hypothesis testing was performed using the Spearman's rank correlation technique. The results of the data processing can be seen in the table 3. From Table 3, it is evident that the correlation coefficient (r) between loneliness and fear of missing out is 0.311. With a significance of 0.000, therefore significance 0.000 < 0.05, this significance value indicates a significant relationship between loneliness and fear of missing out. The direction of the relationship between both variables is positive, meaning that the higher the loneliness among students, the higher the fear of missing out among students, and vice versa. Based on the description of the hypothesis testing results above, the research hypothesis that there is a positive relationship between loneliness and fear of missing out is "ACCEPTED".
| Loneliness | Fear of Missing Out | |||
| Spearman's rho | Loneliness | Correlation Coefficient | 1.000 | .311** |
| Sig. (2-tailed) | . | .000 | ||
| N | 400 | 400 | ||
| Fear of Missing Out | Correlation Coefficient | .311** | 1.000 | |
| Sig. (2-tailed) | .000 | . | ||
| N | 400 | 400 | ||
Descriptive Test Results
Based on Table 4, it can be observed that out of 400 students as respondents in this study, there are 10 students (3%) who fall into the high category, 301 students (75%) are in the moderate category, and 89 students (22%) are in the low category. Based on the details provided, it can be concluded that loneliness among Unnes students, based on the aspect of social others, falls into the moderate category.
| Interval skor | Interval | Kriteria | F | % |
| (µ + 1 ?) ? X | 45 ? X | Tinggi | 10 | 3 |
| (µ - 1 ?) ? X < (µ + 1 ?) | 30 ? X < 45 | Sedan g | 301 | 75 |
| X < (µ - 1 ?) | X < 30 | Rendah | 89 | 22 |
| Total | 400 | 100 | ||
| Interval skor | Interval | Kriteria | F | % |
| (µ + 1 ?) ? X | 36 ? X | Tinggi | 19 | 5 |
| (µ - 1 ?) ? X < (µ + 1 ?) | 24 ? X < 36 | Sedang | 304 | 76 |
| X < (µ - 1 ?) | X < 24 | Rendah | 77 | 19 |
| Total | 400 | 100 | ||
Figure 1. Loneliness among Unnes Students.
Figure 2. Categorization of Fear of Missing Out among Unnes Students
According to table 5, it can be seen that out of 400 students who participated as respondents in this study, there are 19 students (5%) in the high category, 304 students (76%) in the moderate category, and 77 students (19%) in the low category. Therefore, it can be concluded that Fear of Missing Out among Unnes students is in the moderate category.
Discussion
Inferential Analysis Discussion on the Relationship between Loneliness and Fear of Missing Out among Unnes Students.
The hypothesis in this study states that "There is a relationship between loneliness and fear of missing out among Unnes students". The direction of the relationship between the two variables is positive, meaning that the higher the loneliness in students, the higher the fear of missing out, and vice versa. Based on the description of the hypothesis test results in this study, it is declared that there is a positive relationship between loneliness and fear of missing out among Unnes students. In this study, the researcher used a sample of active students at Universitas Negeri Semarang aged around 19 to 26 years.
This study found a positive direction in the relationship between the loneliness variable and fear of missing out. This is supported by Candra's research (2015) regarding the correlation between loneliness and social media addiction and fear of missing out with social media addiction in Indonesia. The studies found have supported the existence of a positive correlation between the loneliness variable and social media addiction among adolescents. Moreover, Raharjo & Zanah (2020) also found that there is a significant positive relationship between the loneliness variable with social media addiction and also between the fear of missing out variable with social media addiction among students.
According to Marketeers (2006), the most internet facility usage is among teenagers and young adults, which refers to students. Students are learners at a university. Furthermore, students fall within the age range that most accesses the internet, with 64.4% between the ages of 12 to 34 years being the most prevalent internet users. Students have a high need for information and entertainment in their daily lives. In addition, various conveniences in accessing the internet make students tend to continue always using the internet. Therefore, students are very prone to internet addiction. The lack of knowledge among students about internet addiction and the negative impacts that can be caused by excessive internet use can disrupt their daily lives. Individuals who are addicted to the internet usually have their social and academic lives disrupted.
According to Young (2010), excessive social media use in individuals can have negative effects. The negative impacts on individuals due to excessive use of social media are that they will feel anxious, gloomy, and depressed. In addition, other negative impacts of someone who is addicted to the internet include a reduction in direct social interaction with close friends or friends because when gathering with friends or hanging out, the individual spends more time on their mobile phones than talking with their friends. Furthermore, other negative impacts of internet addiction include laziness to do tasks, often postponing work, and those who are addicted to the internet will experience a decrease in academic performance. Because individuals who are addicted to the internet usually feel lazy to study (Siti & Aliffatullah, 2017).
Whereas in the research by Kim & Cha (2016), there are several things that can become risk factors for social media addiction, namely loneliness and fear of missing out (Griffith & Kuss 2017). This is supported by the research by Buglass & Binder (2017) showing that high involvement in social networking is partly due to what is called 'fear of missing out'. Fear of missing out is a widespread fear that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent (Przybylski, 2013).
According to Przybylski (2013), fear of missing out is a fear that occurs in individuals that is widespread that others might be having valuable experiences. High levels of fear of missing out in individuals have been associated with increased engagement in individuals with the use of Facebook, low mood, low well-being, and lower life satisfaction. Fear of missing out is a form of syndrome or social anxiety that occurs in a person that can be characterized by the desire of that person to continue to stay connected with whatever others are doing. Individuals who are suffering from this syndrome disorder will experience feelings of low self-esteem and depression. Moreover, the individual will feel uncomfortable if their desire is not met to search for information on the internet. The uncomfortable feelings that arise in individuals such as feelings of anxiety or restlessness. The fear of being left behind in information is a characteristic of the fear of missing out phenomenon. This can be seen in individuals where they will be afraid if they miss information on the internet or the individual will also be afraid if they are not up to date
The research conducted by Thomas (2020) showed that the use of social media helps students who are experiencing difficulties and loneliness when transitioning from school to higher education. When lonely, students usually choose to use social media to overcome that loneliness.
Excessive use of social media can make someone addicted to social media, which can have negative consequences and can disrupt the individual's daily activities. This is reinforced by the research by Moqbel & Kock (in Zanah & Raharjo, 2020) found that social media addiction can be broadly defined as a psychological dependency on the use of social media that disrupts other important activities and will produce negative consequences. This is also reinforced by the research conducted by Andreassen (2015) individuals with social media addiction often use social media excessively so that it negatively affects their health, sleep quality, relationships, and well-being. Excessive use of social media has also been confirmed to have a positive relationship with depression, anxiety, and also stress (Budury, Fitriasari & Khamida, 2019). There are several things that can become risk factors for social media addiction, namely loneliness (Kuss & Griffiths, 2017).
Russell (1996) defines that loneliness is a condition or feeling experienced by an individual caused by a certain personality within the individual itself, this can occur because individuals who experience loneliness cannot get the social life they want, and individuals who experience loneliness usually will have feelings of sadness, lack of enthusiasm, gloominess and individuals will feel that they are worthless.
Based on research, most loneliness is experienced by adolescents. According to research conducted by Parlee (1979), it states that there are 40,000 people experiencing loneliness and 79 percent of them are teenagers. This is in line with the loneliness survey conducted by the Mental Health Foundation in the UK in May 2010, from the results of the survey that has been conducted, there are 2256 people and 24% of individuals feel lonely, where the individual is with an age range of 18 to 34 years. Where the results of this study mention that individuals of that age feel more lonely than individuals over 55 years of age (Mental Health Foundation, 2010). Usually, teenagers to eliminate the loneliness they have felt, they actively continue to access social media using the smartphones they own. Individuals use mobile phones to seek emotional support or reduce negative feelings such as loneliness (Jiang, 2018). Someone who experiences loneliness will spend little time on their social activities. Usually, they prefer to spend time alone rather than with their friends (Spitzberg & Canary, in Bian, 2014).
Prasetya's study (2014) suggests that internal factors in students' internet use typically include using the internet as a means to escape from problems they are facing and to alleviate negative feelings such as guilt, excessive anxiety, and depression. Furthermore, external factors contributing to students' internet addiction include the availability of infrastructure for accessing the internet, such as Wi-Fi signals and gadgets. Loneliness in an individual can lead to internet addiction. Loneliness directly influences online interaction; when individuals feel lonely, they tend to go online using their social media, and while online, they usually express themselves in the best possible way compared to when they are offline (McKenna, Green & Gleason, 2002).
Bell (in Hidayati, 2016) explains that individuals experiencing loneliness usually have few friends or close companions in their lives. Those feeling lonely will feel different from others and typically have fewer experiences in forming relationships.
Descriptive Results Discussion on Loneliness among Students at Universitas Negeri Semarang
Russell (1996) defines loneliness as a condition or feeling experienced by an individual due to a personality trait within the individual itself. This occurs because individuals experiencing loneliness cannot achieve the social life they desire, and they usually feel sad, unenthusiastic, gloomy, and worthless.
According to Suparno (2007), loneliness is a state experienced by an individual where they have no one to communicate with, to establish kinship, feel restless, and feel separated from something. In this study, loneliness was measured using a psychological scale developed through the 3 aspects mentioned by Austin (1983): intimate others, social others, and the feeling of a lack of belonging and affiliation, with a total of 15 items.
From the general categorization results of loneliness among Unnes students, it was found that the level of loneliness among Unnes students is in the moderate category. Similarly, from the specific portrayal of loneliness based on the three aspects, namely Intimate others, Social others, and feeling of a lack of belonging and affiliation, it is in the moderate category. It can thus be concluded that loneliness among Unnes students falls into the moderate category.
Based on research, the majority of loneliness is experienced by teenagers. According to Parlee (1979), there are 40,000 people experiencing loneliness, and 79 percent of them are teenagers. In a survey conducted by the Mental Health Foundation (2010), out of 2256 individuals, 24% felt lonely, with the age range being 18 to 34 years. Typically, teenagers actively use social media on their smartphones to alleviate the loneliness they feel. Lonely individuals will spend little time on their social activities, preferring to spend time alone rather than with friends (Spitzberg & Canary, in Bian, 2014). Thus, it can be concluded that loneliness among Unnes students is in the moderate category.
Descriptive Results Discussion on Fear of Missing Out among Students at Universitas Negeri Semarang
According to Przybylski (2013), fear of missing out (FoMO) is a widespread fear that others may be having valuable experiences from which one is absent. High levels of FoMO in individuals have been associated with increased engagement with the use of Facebook, low mood, low well-being, and lower life satisfaction. FoMO is a form of social anxiety syndrome characterized by an individual's desire to stay continually connected with what others are doing. Individuals suffering from this syndrome will experience low self-esteem and depression. They will also feel uncomfortable if their desire to search for information on the internet is not fulfilled, leading to feelings of anxiety or restlessness. The fear of being left behind in information is a characteristic of the FoMO phenomenon. Individuals experiencing FoMO will have an ongoing interest in and always use the internet in their daily lives, which can lead to internet addiction if used excessively.
FoMO was measured using a psychological scale developed through two indicators: the fear of missing out on valuable moments from others and the desire to always be connected with what others are doing via the internet, consisting of 12 items with a reliability test result of 0.765.
The first indicator of FoMO, the desire to stay connected with what others are doing, was assessed among 400 respondents. There were 35 students (8%) in the high category, 342 students (85%) in the moderate category, and 23 students (6%) in the low category. It can be concluded that in terms of the desire to stay connected with what others are doing, the category is moderate.
Meanwhile, the second indicator of FoMO, the fear of missing out on moments from others, was assessed among 400 respondents. There were 19 students (5%) in the high category, 271 students (68%) in the moderate category, and 110 students (27%) in the low category. Thus, it can be concluded that in terms of the fear of missing out on moments from others, the category is moderate.
Conclusion and Recommendation
Drawing from the analysis of the relationship between loneliness and Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) among students at Universitas Negeri Semarang, it can be concluded that there is a significant positive relationship between loneliness and Fear of Missing Out among these students. Therefore, this study indicates that the higher the level of loneliness experienced by the students, the higher the level of Fear of Missing Out they experience. Conversely, the lower the level of loneliness among students at Universitas Negeri Semarang, the lower their Fear of Missing Out. In this study, the level of loneliness among Unnes students is in the moderate category, as is the level of Fear of Missing Out among Unnes students.
References
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