Examining the Effects of Fear of Missing Out FOMO Social Comparison and Materialism on the Online Compulsive Buying of the Addictive Users of Social Networking Sites

Abstract

Problematic SNS usage is an uprising phenomenon. Addictive SNS usage newlinewhich is the subset of Problematic SNS usage results in adverse behavioral newlineoutcomes. Previous studies state that problematic SNS usage is prevalent among newlineyoung SNS users (Hussain and Griffiths, 2021). Staying on SNS for quite a long newlinetime will expose users to more and more content on SNS like stories, reels, newlinevideos, photos, posts, etc. (Corcos and Hodara, 2017). Extensive SNS usage leads newlineto adverse behavioural outcomes like online compulsive buying behaviour ( Xiang newlineet al., 2016). This impacts the behavioural patterns of the young population of our newlinecountry as well as our state and it has to be addressed with utmost concern. newlineAlthough the internet and social media users have been linked to compulsive newlinebuying, the relationship between addictive SNS usage and online Compulsive newlinebuying has not been explored yet. General strain theory explains the psychosocial newlineprocesses and strains associated with addictive internet usage. Strain theorists newlinestate that specific psychosocial processes lead to certain behavioral outcomes. By newlineexploring further and analysing these psychosocial processes, this theory helps newlinedetermine how compulsive buying tendencies are influenced by SNS usage. newlineConsumer purchasing habits can be affected by this comparative behaviour which newlineis a result of online socialisation. This can be better explained by examining the newlineintervening effect of social comparison. newline This study aims to identify the relationship newlinebetween Addictive SNS use and the psychosocial processes such as social newlinecomparison and materialism that influence Online Compulsive Buying and the newlinefactors that induce the afore mentioned relationship. newline newline