The Influence of Social Media Use Intensity and Fear of Missing Out on Adolescents’ Career Decision-Making

This study investigates the influence of social media use intensity and Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) on adolescents’ career decision-making in Bangka Belitung. Employing a mixed-methods approach with a sequential explanatory design, the study involved 415 senior high school students selected through stratified random sampling across four regencies/municipalities in the Bangka Belitung Islands Province. Quantitative data were collected using three standardized instruments: the Social Media Use Intensity Scale (α = .891), the FOMO Scale adapted from the Fear of Missing Out Scale (FoMOs) (α = .876), and the Career Decision-Making Scale based on the Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy framework (α = .903). Multiple regression analysis revealed that social media use intensity (β = .341, p < .001) and FOMO (β = .476, p < .001) jointly exerted a significant influence on adolescents’ career decision-making, with a coefficient of determination of R² = .507, indicating that the two predictors accounted for 50.7% of the variance in career decision-making. Qualitative data obtained through Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) further enriched the findings by identifying the psychological mechanisms underlying these relationships. The novelty of this study lies in integrating the perspectives of Social Comparison Theory and Self-Determination Theory within the distinctive digital ecology of Bangka Belitung, an archipelagic region experiencing rapid expansion in technological access. The practical implications of the study include recommendations for developing digital bibliocounseling modules for school counselors in senior high schools.