Caught in the Comparison Loop: How Fear of Missing Out Drives Anxiety, Social Pressure, and Compulsive Social Media Use Among Generation Z

The present study investigates why Generation Z struggles to disengage from excessive social media use, positioning Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) as a central psychological mechanism that drives anxiety, perceived social pressure, and maladaptive digital behaviors. Drawing on Behavioral Cognitive Theory (BCT), we conceptualized FoMO as a cognitive emotional trigger that intensifies Gen Z's vigilance toward peers' achievements in career‐oriented digital environments such as LinkedIn and Instagram. Grounded in mixed‐method design, Study 1 applies descriptive phenomenology with nine participants to understand their lived digital experiences, revealing themes of identity threat, exclusion sensitivity, and algorithm‐reinforced comparison cycles, which were further validated using a quantitative survey of 484 responses in Study 2. Results of the study show that FoMO significantly increases perceived social pressure and anxiety, which collectively accelerate compulsive social media use. Furthermore, facilitating conditions moderate these effects by intensifying FoMO's psychological pull. By integrating experiential and quantitative evidence, this research contributes a multi‐layered explanation of FoMO‐driven compulsive behavior and offers insights for platform designers and policymakers seeking to promote healthier digital ecosystems for young users.