The FOMO effect: how enterprise social media fuels exhaustion and creativity
YunYan Wang, Poh-Chuin Teo, Shahid Rasool, Catherine PrenticePurpose
This study investigates how enterprise social media use shapes employee attitudes and behaviors, with a particular focus on the role of fear of missing out (FoMO). It examines the relationships among enterprise social media intensity, FoMO, employee creativity and emotional exhaustion and explores how prevention and promotion focused regulatory orientations moderate these relationships. The study also compares these dynamics across employees in China and Malaysia to understand contextual differences.
Design/methodology/approach
A time-lagged, multi-wave survey design was conducted with full-time employees working in China and Malaysia. Measures of enterprise social media use, FoMO, regulatory focus, emotional exhaustion and creativity were collected across separate waves to reduce common method bias and capture temporal effects.
Findings
High-intensity use of enterprise social media was positively associated with employees' FoMO in both China and Malaysia. FoMO, in turn, significantly associated with greater emotional exhaustion and higher employee creativity. FoMO also demonstrated a significant mediating effect between enterprise social media intensity and employee outcomes. Cross-country comparison showed broadly consistent patterns across the two contexts.
Research limitations/implications
The findings underscore the importance of managing FoMO in organizational digital communication environments. Organizations seeking to promote decent work, enhance employee well-being and support sustainable performance should design enterprise social media practices that reduce FoMO triggers and support healthy digital engagement.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the emerging literature by integrating enterprise social media use, FoMO and regulatory focus theory into a single model. It is among the first to examine these mechanisms across two cultural contexts using a multi-wave design, highlighting the psychological risks of digitally intensive work environments and their implications for creativity and well-being.