Vulnerable narcissism, fear of missing out (FoMO) and addictive social media use: A gender comparison from Germany

Persons with enhanced levels of the personality trait vulnerable narcissism tend to dysfunctional strategies such as excessive social media use (SMU) to cope with negative emotions. The present study investigated the relationship between vulnerable narcissism, fear of missing out (FoMO) and addictive SMU in male and female persons. Data of 745 social media users from Germany (men: N = 365, women: N = 380) were collected by online surveys. The present findings revealed higher levels of vulnerable narcissism, FoMO and addictive SMU in male participants than in female participants. In both gender-specific groups, vulnerable narcissism, FoMO and addictive SMU were positively associated. Moreover, FoMO mediated the relationship between vulnerable narcissism and addictive SMU. Thus, especially (male) persons with high levels of vulnerable narcissism could be at risk for the addictive tendencies when they experience FoMO. Potential ways how to protect this group against the negative effects of the online activity are discussed.