Predicting Non-Work Social Media Use on the basis of Burnout, Work Engagement, and the Fear of Missing Out

This research explores non-work social media use (NWSMU) in the workplace. Loss of work time and productivity as a consequence of time spent on non-work social media in the workplace has cost implications for organisations. The use of social network sites at work – for non-work purposes – is viewed as a specific type of cyberloafing (the voluntary exploration of non-work-related sites during formal working hours), and is attracting increased research attention, especially due to the ever-increasing amount of active social media users worldwide. The study is underpinned by the job demands-resources (JD-R) theory and used a cross-sectional, non-experimental design to answer the question: What salient influences affect the use of non-work social media during working hours? The fear of missing out (FoMO) is a term that is used to describe the feeling that one is missing out on experiences that other people may be having. This can come about when one feels as though the missed-out experience is more rewarding than what one is experiencing in that moment. Social media platforms allow people to constantly check-up and view what other people are doing. This has enhanced levels of FoMO, as people can feel as though they are living vicariously through another person’s social media. A literature review provided a basis to develop research hypotheses and a conceptual model. The objectives of this study were to develop and test a structural model depicting the direct and interaction effects that burnout, work engagement, and FoMO have on NWSMU; to determine whether age is a salient variable in understanding the extent of NWSMU; and to interpret the findings and discuss their practical implications. The measurement instruments that were selected to test these relationships were the burnout assessment tool (BAT-12); the Utrecht work engagement scale (UWES-9); a non-work social media use (NWSMU) questionnaire; and the fear of missing out (FoMO) scale. These were statistically analysed using descriptive statistics and structural equation modelling (SEM). Ethical considerations were also explored. A non-probability, convenience sampling method was employed to obtain 167 participants from four different organisations in South Africa. The results confirm burnout to have a positive direct effect on work engagement, and that FoMO has a positive direct effect on NWSMU. Other hypotheses were explored; however, no statistical significance was found. This study could assist organisations, human resources (HR) professionals and industrial psychologists to implement tools to raise awareness of and identify interventions to address these effects. In addition, employees themselves can be provided with tools to recognise symptoms of burnout, to enhance work engagement, and to acknowledge the impact of FoMO and NWSMU in the modern working world.

Grantor dc:publisher

Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Robberts, Zoe

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Boonzaier, Michele

Language dc:language.iso

en

Repository record dc:identifier.uri

https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/135900

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/135900