Fear of missing out, feeling of acceleration, and being permanently online: a survey study of university students' use of mobile apps in China

We argue that the usage of mobile apps could be understood in the context of being permanently online. That is, contrary to functionalist theories, the usage of mobile apps is not simply an outcome based on the user's rational needs and goals but also reflects the new state of being in the online world of the mobile Internet environment. Following this approach, in this study we review the emerging concept of being permanently online, as well as two key influential factors: the fear of missing out (FOMO) and the feeling of acceleration. We then use the survey data collected from university students in Shanghai, China (N = 687) to examine the relationships between FOMO, the feeling of acceleration, being permanently online, and two types of mobile apps usage (i.e. WeChat and O2O life service apps). The results showed that in controlling for other variables, FOMO, the feeling of acceleration, and being permanently online were significantly related to mobile apps usage. In particular, FOMO was positively related to being permanently online. These empirical findings demonstrate the significance of examining mobile app usage from a new theoretical perspective, and they indicate that this approach deserves further attention in the research on this topic.