The impact of social networking on fear of missing out and self-esteem: resilience as a safeguard for university students

Purpose This study aims to examine the relationships between social media usage, fear of missing out (FOMO) and self-esteem among university students, while exploring resilience as a protective factor. It aims to identify both risk pathways and buffering mechanisms that influence students’ psychological well-being in digital environments. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional design was used with a sample of 215 students from Philadelphia University in Amman, Jordan. Data were analyzed using correlation analysis, multiple regression and bootstrapped mediation analysis to assess direct and indirect relationships among social media use, FOMO, resilience and self-esteem. Findings FOMO was significantly negatively correlated with self-esteem (r = −0.45, p < 0.01) and social media use was positively correlated with FOMO (r = 0.32, p < 0.01). Resilience was a significant independent predictor of self-esteem (β = 0.25, p = 0.047) and significantly moderated the FOMO–self-esteem relationship (B = 0.12, p = 0.017), weakening FOMO’s adverse effect at higher levels of resilience. FOMO also partially mediated the relationship between social media use and self-esteem (indirect effect B = −0.25, 95% CI [−0.38, −0.12], p < 0.01). Originality/value This study contributes novel evidence on the interplay between social media use, FOMO and self-esteem by addressing two underexplored areas: mediating mechanisms linking these constructs, and generalizability beyond Western populations. By sampling university students in Amman, Jordan, the study extends existing theory to a Middle Eastern context where such relationships remain largely untested. It further advances understanding by identifying resilience as both an independent predictor of self-esteem and a significant moderator that buffers FOMO’s negative effects, offering novel theoretical and practical insight into protective factors relevant to student mental health in digitally saturated environments.