Fear of missing out as a driver of purchase intentions: a bibliometric analysis of global research

A psychological state that has emerged as an important construct to capture consumer behavior in the digital context is fear of missing out (FOMO). With the rise of social media, influencer campaigns, and scarcity-based content, FOMO is becoming increasingly prevalent and shaping consumer purchasing behavior. But the existing research is fragmented and dispersed across psychology, marketing, and behavioral science, with no overall appreciation of the field. Based on that, the current study undertakes a bibliometric analysis of global research on FOMO and purchase intention, drawing on 603 peer-reviewed papers from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. The performance analysis and science mapping techniques were carried out using Bibliometrix, focusing on keyword co-occurrence and thematic mapping. The results show that there was significantly increased research in the temporal frame post-2018, and prevailing research themes included anxiety, social media, addiction, and digital behavior. The study identifies areas for future research to converge FOMO with consumer behavior theory and practice, as well as directions for integrating theoretical developments in FOMO and digital consumer behavior.