Abstract:

Two decades ago, Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) was introduced to describe a phenomenon linked to on social networking sites, and characterized by two main aspects: firstly, a significant perception of missing out, and secondly a compulsive attitude and behavior to maintain these interpersonal and social connections and relationships.

In general terms, FOMO is associated with a range of negative feelings and experiences. Young people at universities, belonging to Generation Z or Centennials, have grown up in a connected world configurated by immediacy and hyper-contact with people and objects. In higher education, students have different learning style preferences and professors should consider these feelings and perceptions given the variability in situations among Centennials, evidencing that the role of this cohort of students and their relationships with professors are areas of great interest.

Despite the seminal literature focused on the impacts of engagement and attitudes in the classroom upon the performance of students, there is little research for Centennials in higher education environments. In this research, we provide a general review of the literature and summarize the main results in relation to academic performance, disorders to being hyper-connected, and physical and mental well-being. This paper is aimed to explore the effects of FOMO for understanding certain academic processes at virtual universities. A conceptual and theoretical framework is used to guide the investigation, its design and analysis to contextually capture attitudes and cognitive perceptions of Centennials in Spain. This paper aims: (1) to identify the most relevant perceptions and attitudes linked to FOMO into some academic activities in higher education, and (2) to describe the effects of FOMO feelings and perceptions on academic performance from Centennials. Focusing on the characteristics among students, we applied a methodology based on a case study. Within the context of a virtual university in Spain, a questionnaire was applied to undergraduate students to evaluate whether the generational component influences their academic outcomes related to FOMO. Students were asked to go offline for 24 hours and record their experiences, and the results show that participants experienced both negative and positive feelings during this experimental period, as well as difficulties in certain functions of daily life.

The outline of this paper is as follows: first, a section is devoted to the introduction, antecedents, and justification of this research. Second, we describe the background regarding fear of missing out (FOMO), from centennials’ views in Higher Education. Third, a methodology for exploring this topic in the classroom is exposed in this paper. Fourth, a brief discussion of the results is carried out and finally, a section is devoted to the conclusions, limitations, and theoretical and managerial implications.

Keywords:

Learning, Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), Centennials, Spain, Higher Education.