The predictive role of need for cognitive closure and personal traits on levels of high school students' fear of missing out

Social media applications have become an integral part of our lives with the development of technology and internet. The fear of missing out is defined as the anxiety of falling short of different and tempting experiences of others. The aim of the study is to examine the predictive role of the need for cognitive closure and personality traits on the fear of missing out. The sample of the study consists of 296 students, 117 boys and 179 girls, who continue their education in various high schools in Aksaray in the 2020-2021 academic year. Personal information form, scale of the fear of missing out, scale-short form of the need for closure and quick big five personality scale have been used to collect data. The obtained data have been analyzed using the SPSS 25 package software. In accordance with the relational screening model, the data have been analyzed with multilinear regression analysis, independent sample t-test and one-way variance analysis (ANOVA). According to the results of the study, while there has been no significant difference between the fear of missing out and the gender variable, significant differences have been found between the variables of family income, aim of using the internet and duration of using social media. Also, there has been a positive and significant correlation between the fear of missing out and the need for cognitive closure, whereas a negative significant correlation has been found only with emotional stability, one of the sub-dimensions of the five-factor personality traits. Suggestions have been put forth by discussing the findings obtained as part of the literature.