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Ryan Lee

Jung Soo Lee

Writing 39C

11 October 2019

Annotated Bibliography and Source Analysis

Buglass, Sarah L., et al. “Motivators of Online Vulnerability: The Impact of Social Network

Site Use and FOMO.” ​Computers in Human Behavior​, vol. 66, 2017, pp. 248–255.,

doi:10.1016/j.chb.2016.09.055.

The argument states that increased social media use is linked to feelings of FOMO and

higher psychological vulnerability. The article utilizes testing from standardized surveys done on

test subjects as evidence of the correlation. This supports my paper because this journal article

has results from testing done on a survey group to find the correlation. The aspect of FOMO

resulting from social media use allows my overall argument to be supported, while increased

psychological vulnerability supports my focus on depression resulting from feelings of

ostracism. The author-Sarah Buglass-is in the department of psychology at Nottingham Trent

University in the UK. She has written six other articles discussing various ways social media and

online use affects users. She cites many references, mostly other scholarly articles, proving she

has thorough research and references to back up her claims. The article's keywords are Online

social networks, FOMO, Self-esteem, Structural equation modelling, and Online vulnerability,

all of which are relevant to my topic and are useful in finding similar articles.
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Reagle, Joseph. “Following the Joneses: FOMO and Conspicuous Sociality.” ​First Monday​, vol.

20, no. 10, 2015, doi:10.5210/fm.v20i10.6064.

The article argues that FOMO is a result of​ envy-related anxiety regarding missed

experiences and belonging. Throughout his article, he discusses the feelings and manifestations

of FOMO and addresses the shifting attitudes towards it. The article is useful for me because it

draws connections between FOMO and a need for belonging, which supports my focus on

feelings of depression resulting from social ostracism. Though the article does not utilize

scientific research, it is still useful for me, as its theoretical approach addresses some of the

reasons behind FOMO, its connotations, etc.. The author-Joseph Reagle-is an assistant professor

of Communication Studies at Northeastern University. He has a Ph. D from New York

University's Department of Media, Culture and Communication. He references many other

scholarly articles about the impacts of media on its users, showing he has evidence to back up his

claims; he also was a Research Engineer at MIT and has worked on various projects involving

internet policy, security, etc., showing a practical application of his skills. The article's key words

are social anxiety, FOMO, envy, social comparison, social validation, and illness, all of which

address the effects of FOMO on a person.

Saffran, Mark, and Richard Koestner. “Fear of Missing out: Prevalence, Dynamics and

Consequences of FOMO.” ​PsycEXTRA Dataset​, 2014, doi:10.1037/e514472015-349.

The article investigates the physical effects of FOMO (through research studies) and

evaluates the concept of FOMO, making it both scientific and philosophy-based. The article is

important to my argument because it not only includes studies on the physical affects of FOMO,
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but provides evidence that I can utilize, along with a general conceptualization of the subject.

The use of both ways to address the subject is unique to the article, and shows that the author is

basing philosophy on scientific studies, grounding them more in reality than interpretation. The

authors-Saffran, Mark, and Richard Koestner-work in the psychology department of ​McGill

University in Canada, demonstrating a good amount of expertise on the subject. Alongside their

credentials, they provide numerous references to other research articles on the same topic,

showing that their own beliefs correspond to many other experts in their field, adding to their

credibility. The article's keywords relate to FOMO and the method of study. The keywords​ are

Fear of missing out, Experience sampling method, Well-being, and Self-regulation.

Park, Sora. “FOMO, Ephemerality, and Online Social Interactions among Young People.” ​East

Asian Science, Technology and Society​, vol. 12, no. 4, 2018, pp. 439–458.,

doi:10.1215/18752160-7218675.

The article examines the ways in which social media users interact online and the

implications this has on their real lives. Specifically, it focuses on how their online

communications are not representative of who they are as people and do not cultivate

long-lasting relationships that adolescents desire. It also addresses how media communication

and real-life interaction are often done simultaneously (shifting from texts to talking to a person),

which causes adolescents to question how significant their online interactions are, while

complicating their perception of real-life interactions. This is relevant to my topic because it

examines how a lack of social interactions can lead to online interactions, which do not provide

the relationships adolescents need, creating a feeling of FOMO within them. Specifically the
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focus on loneliness resulting from a lack of interaction with friends and acquaintances parallels

my focus, therefore supporting my paper. The author-Dr. Sora Park-is an Associate Professor of

Communication and Media Studies and the Associate Dean of Research at the Faculty of Arts

and Design at the University of Canberra. While she has not written any other articles, she

references many other research articles on the topic and conducted surveys in both Australia and

South Korea, giving her a wide perspective on FOMO and how adolescents integrate this into

their real lives and perceptions of social interaction. Her article is also peer reviewed, showing

her ideas have been accepted by other researchers in her field. Her keywords link to the areas of

her studies and the aspects of FOMO; they include ​social media,​ ​Internet, young people, Korea,

Australia, curated activities, ephemerality, and social networks.

Scholarly Source Analysis

Favotto, Lindsay, et al. “The Role of Family and Computer-Mediated Communication in

Adolescent Loneliness.” ​Plos One​, vol. 14, no. 6, 2019,

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0214617.

The article focuses on how a lack of family and friend interaction increases the risk of

adolescents developing mental illnesses (depression included). It also reports the results of a

survey in which adolescents rated their loneliness on a scale and discussed their personal lives

(including family relations, friends, and lifestyle). It places a strong focus on external factors that

adolescents face, differentiating it from most articles addressing the same topic. The author's

overall research problem focuses on how a lack of interaction with family and friends serves as a

contributor to mental health issues, which manifests as FOMO. For evidence, the article includes
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a survey study done on adolescents which gathered data on feelings of loneliness and the test

subject's corresponding personal influences on their feelings. The article's intended audience is

other scholarly writers, as its research and overall tone is geared towards evidence and fact rather

than aiming towards an audience of regular people. The authors establish credibility through

their many references to research articles relating to their topic, their research studies, and their

credentials at Queen's University (some lead research teams and/or work as educators). The

authors do not appeal to the audience's emotions, but focus purely on reporting data from the

studies. In doing this, they further solidify their audience to be scholarly writers and report their

information in an objective and scientific way. However, because they are studying this topic, it

is clear that they are dedicated to resolving this issue, as finding the root causes of it is a step

towards eliminating the problem. This source is useful to my HCP project because it is purely

data based on the feelings of FOMO and the socio-economic factors influencing the intensity of

them. More specifically, it focuses on how a feeling of isolation from a lack of social interaction

can play a significant role in facilitating FOMO and its symptom of depression.