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The need to belong and adolescent authentic self-presentation on SNSs: A

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 Personality and Individual Differences 128 (2018) 133–138

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Personality and Individual Differences

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/paid

The need to belong and adolescent authentic self-presentation on SNSs: A T

moderated mediation model involving FoMO and perceived social support
Pengcheng Wanga, Xiaochun Xieb, Xingchao Wanga, Xinyue Wanga, Fengqing Zhaoa,
⁎
Xiaoyuan Chua, Jia Niea, Li Leia,
a
Department of Psychology, The Center of Internet + Social Psychology, Renmin University of China, No. 59 Zhongguancun Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100872,
China
b
School of Psychology, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Recent research indicates that authentic self-presentation on social networking sites (SNSs) is a common be-
SNSs havior for adolescents. However, little is known about the driving force behind this behavior. The present study
Need to belong tested the relation between the need to belong and authentic self-presentation on SNSs among Chinese ado-
Authentic self-presentation lescents. Further, the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relation were examined. A sample
FoMO
of 832 adolescents participated in this study and completed questionnaires regarding the need to belong, per-
Perceived social support
Adolescents
ceived social support, fear of missing out (FoMO), and authentic self-presentation on SNSs. After controlling for
gender, age, and SNSs use intensity, the need to belong could positively predict adolescent authentic self-pre-
sentation on SNSs. Mediation analyses indicated that FoMO mediated the association between the need to belong
and adolescent authentic self-presentation on SNSs. Moderated mediation revealed that perceived social support
moderated the second pathway of the indirect associations between the need to belong and adolescent authentic
self-presentation on SNSs, with the association only being significant for adolescents with a lower level of
perceived social support.

1. Introduction
Social networking sites (SNSs) have become an important part of
many adolescents' everyday life (Sampasa-Kanyinga & Lewis, 2015),
millions of adolescents share their emotions, life experiences, and
thoughts on SNSs on a daily basis. Authentic self-presentation (also
known as real self-presentation, honest self-presentation, authentic self-
disclosure etc.) on SNSs reflects a form of behavior that users authen-
tically share their feelings, thoughts, and life events on SNSs (Ellison,
Heino, & Gibbs, 2006; Kim & Lee, 2011). Recently, some studies in-
dicate that authentic self-presentation on SNSs could enhance adoles-
cents' well-being (Kim & Lee, 2011; Wang et al., in press; Xie et al., in
press). For example, it is found that authentic self-presentation on SNSs
can predict decreased adolescent depression (Wang et al., in press; Xie
et al., in press). However, little is known about why adolescents choose
to present themselves on SNSs authentically. Given the penetration of
SNSs in adolescents' daily life, and given the potential influence au-
thentic self-presentation on SNSs may have on adolescents' psycholo-
gical status (Kim & Lee, 2011; Wang et al., in press; Xie et al., in press),
it is necessary to explore the driving force and mechanisms behind this
behavior.
Previous studies indicate that SNSs use and self-presentation are
both related to social purposes (Christofides, Muise, & Desmarais, 2009;
Utz, Tanis, & Vermeulen, 2012; Winter et al., 2014). According to the
belongingness hypothesis (Baumeister & Leary, 1995), the need to be-
long is a powerful, fundamental, and extremely pervasive human mo-
tivation, people with high levels of need to belong would make more
efforts to enhance their social connections. Therefore, it is theoretically
reasonable to deduce that need to belong could be a driving force for
adolescent self-presentation on SNSs. Empirical studies also support this
notion. For example, it is found that belonging and self-presentation are
two important reasons for SNSs use (Christofides et al., 2009; Nadkarni
& Hofmann, 2012; Seidman, 2013; Utz et al., 2012; Winter et al., 2014).
Moreover, previous research finds that the need for social connections
can be a driving force for self-presentation or self-disclosure on SNSs
(Buglass, Binder, Betts, & Underwood, 2017).
In addition, the potential roles of mediating (i.e., how the need to
belong relates to authentic self-presentation on SNSs) and moderating
(i.e., when or for whom the link is most potent) variables that may be
involved in this relation remain unknown. Exploring its mediating and

⁎
Corresponding author at: Department of Psychology, Renmin University of China, No. 59 Zhongguancun Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100872, China.
E-mail address: dr.leili@qq.com (L. Lei).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2018.02.035
Received 6 November 2017; Received in revised form 19 January 2018; Accepted 22 February 2018
0191-8869/ © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
P. Wang et al.
moderating mechanism would be crucial to advance our understanding
of why adolescents present themselves authentically on SNSs. To ad-
dress these gaps, the present study utilized a large sample of Chinese
adolescents to examine a conceptual model in which, (a) the need to
belong increases fear of missing out (FoMO), which in turn increases
authentic self-presentation on SNSs; (b) the indirect associations be-
tween the need to belong and authentic self-presentation on SNSs via
FoMO are moderated by perceived social support.
1.1. Fear of missing out as a mediator
FoMO is a psychological trait described as a “pervasive apprehen-
sion that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one
is absent” (Przybylski, Murayama, DeHaan, & Gladwell, 2013). FoMO is
regarded as a type of social anxiety, a concern that one might miss a
chance for interpersonal interaction, a novel experience, or some other
favorable events. As Baumeister and Leary (1995) argue, the need to
belong has multiple impacts on people's cognitions, emotions, and be-
haviors, individuals with high levels of the need to belong pay more
attention to their interpersonal interactions and social connections with
others. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that people high in the
need to belong would have high levels of FoMO. That is, the need to
belong can predict FoMO. Empirical evidence with different meth-
odologies and samples has provided support for this notion. For ex-
ample, a cross-sectional study shows that the need to belong is posi-
tively associated with FoMO (Beyens, Frison, & Eggermont, 2016).
Besides, an experiment study indicates that FoMO is strongly linked to
the need to belong (Lai, Altavilla, Ronconi, & Aceto, 2016).
According to the compensatory Internet use theory (Kardefelt-
Winther, 2014), people may turn to the cyberspace to seek the sense of
psychological needs satisfaction such as relatedness. Given that people
with high level of FoMO are more sensitive about their social bonds
(Przybylski et al., 2013), it is reasonable to assume that they may turn
to the Internet to seek the sense of relatedness. Moreover, previous
studies indicate that self-disclosure can increase the connections be-
tween a person and other people (Reis & Shaver, 1988; Sprecher &
Hendrick, 2004). Therefore, it is possible that people with a high level
of FoMO will choose to present themselves on the cyberspace such as
SNSs to increase their connections with other people. There are two
kinds of self-presentation on SNSs, namely, authentic self-presentation
and positive self-presentation (Kim & Lee, 2011). This study focused on
exploring the relationship between FoMO and authentic self-presenta-
tion on SNSs. Given that research regarding FoMO is only at its be-
ginning stage (Alt, 2015; Przybylski et al., 2013), little research has
directly explored the relation between FoMO and authentic self-pre-
sentation on SNSs. Nevertheless, empirical research indicates that it is
possible that FoMO can lead to authentic self-presentation on SNSs. For
example, FoMO is found being positively associated with SNSs use (Alt,
2015; Beyens et al., 2016; Przybylski et al., 2013). And given that self-
presentation is one of the main activities for SNSs use (Nadkarni &
Hofmann, 2012), it is possible that FoMO could lead to authentic self-
presentation (as a subtype of self-presentation) on SNSs.
To our knowledge, no prior research has directly explored the re-
lation between FoMO and authentic self-presentation on SNSs, nor the
mediating role of FoMO in the relation between the need to belong and
authentic self-presentation on SNSs. Based on the literature reviewed
above, we put forward the first hypothesis:
Hypothesis 1. The need to belong would positively predict FoMO,
which in turn would positively predict authentic self-presentation on
SNSs. That is, FoMO would mediate the relation between the need to
belong and authentic self-presentation on SNSs.
1.2. Perceived social support as a moderator
Although the need to belong may impact authentic self-presentation
134
Personality and Individual Differences 128 (2018) 133–138
on SNSs via FoMO, it is not possible that adolescents are identically
influenced by this effect. Thus, it is necessary and important to explore
potential moderating roles that may influence the relationship between
the need to belong and authentic self-presentation on SNSs among
adolescents. The present study examines a hypothesis that the indirect
associations between the need to belong and authentic self-presentation
on SNSs would be moderated by perceived social support.
According to the social support buffering hypothesis (Cohen & Wills,
1985), perceived social support could buffer individuals from the in-
fluence of stressful events or circumstances. Given that people with
high levels of need to belong intend to consider social inadequacy as
stressful events compared with people with low level of need to belong
(Baumeister & Leary, 1995; Leary, Kelly, Cottrell, & Schreindorfer,
2013), and presenting themselves on SNSs authentically could be a way
of compensating for their feelings of social inadequacy (Buglass et al.,
2017). It is theoretically reasonable to deduce that social support might
be a buffer in the relation between the need to belong and authentic
self-presentation on SNSs. Numerous studies suggest that social support
can indeed moderate the relation between stressful events or circum-
stances and their influences on people. For example, it is recently found
that social support moderates the relation between race-related stress
and hopelessness (Odafe, Salami, & Walker, 2017), the relation between
subjective burden and depression (Singh, Ghosh, & Nandi, 2017), and
the relation between psychological distress and quality of life as well
(Senneseth, Hauken, Matthiesen, Gjestad, & Laberg, 2017). To date, no
prior research has examined perceived social support as a moderator of
the indirect relations between the need to belong and authentic self-
presentation on SNSs. Based on the theoretical and empirical grounds
reviewed above, we put forward the following hypothesis:
Hypothesis 2. The indirect associations between the need to belong
and authentic self-presentation on SNSs through FoMO would vary as a
function of perceived social support. Specially, the indirect relations
between the need to belong and authentic self-presentation on SNSs
would be stronger for adolescents with low levels of perceived social
support.
1.3. The present study
In the present study, we examined a model of the process by which
the need to belong would predict authentic self-presentation on SNSs
among adolescents. In particular, the purposes of the present study
were twofold: (a) to test whether FoMO mediates the relationship be-
tween the need to belong and authentic self-presentation on SNSs, and
(b) to test whether the indirect associations between the need to belong
and authentic self-presentation on SNSs via FoMO would be moderated
by perceived social support. Taken together, these two research ques-
tions constitute a moderated mediation model. This integrated model
can address questions about both mediation (i.e. how does the need to
relate to authentic self-presentation on SNSs) and moderation (i.e.
when or for whom is the relation most or least potent) in a single model.
Fig. 1 illustrates the proposed model.
2. Method
2.1. Participants
A total of 832 middle school students (52% of the participants were
males) participated in our survey. The participants were recruited from
two middle schools in China. The mean age of the participants was
16.43 years (SD = 0.93, range = 14–20 years). Students completed a
survey designed to collect data regarding demographic variables, the
need to belong, FoMO, perceived social support, and authentic self-
presentation on SNSs.
P. Wang et al.
NTB
(Independent
Variable)
Fig. 1. The proposed moderated mediation model.
Note. NTB = the need to belong, FoMO = fear of missing out, PSS = perceived social support, ASP = authentic self-presentation on SNSs.
2.2. Measures
2.2.1. The need to belong
The need to belong was measured by the Need to Belong Scale
(Leary et al., 2013), which consists of 10 items (e.g., “I try hard not to
do things that will make other people avoid or reject me”). Each item
was rated on a 5-point scale (1 = not at all, 5 = extremely), with higher
total scores indicating higher levels of the need to belong. In the current
scale, Cronbach's α for the scale was 0.79.
2.2.2. Authentic self-presentation on SNSs
Authentic self-presentation was measured by the Chinese version
(Niu, Bao, Zhou, Kong, & Sun, 2015) of the Honest Self-presentation
Scale designed by Kim and Lee (2011) to assess the extent to which
participants authentically share their feelings, thoughts, and life events
on SNSs (e.g., “I freely reveal negative emotions I feel—for example,
sadness, anxiety, or anger”), which consists of 4 items. Each item was
rated on a 7-point scale (1 = strongly disagree, 7 = strongly agree), with
higher total scores indicating higher tendency to present oneself au-
thentically on SNSs. Cronbach's α for the scale was 0.74 in this study.
2.2.3. Fear of missing out
FoMO was measured by the Fear of Missing Out scale (FoMOs)
(Przybylski et al., 2013), which consists of 10 items (e.g., “I get worried
when I find out my friends are having fun without me”). Each item was
rated on a 5-point scale (1 = not at all true of me, 5 = extremely true of
me), with higher total scores indicating higher levels of FoMO. In the
present study, Cronbach's α for the FoMOs was 0.80.
2.2.4. Perceived social support
Perceived social support was measured by the Multidimensional
Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) (Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet, &
Farley, 1988), which consists of 12 items. It measures perceived support
from three sources including family (e.g., “I get emotional help and
support I need from my family”), friends (e.g., “I can count on my
friends when things go wrong”), and significant others (e.g., “There is a
special person who is around me when I am in need”). Each item was
rated on a 7-point scale (1 = strongly disagree, 7 = strongly agree), the
items were aggregated into a total score (Osman, Lamis, Freedenthal,
Gutierrez, & McNaughton-Cassill, 2014), with higher scores indicating
greater perceived social support. In the present study, Cronbach's α for
the MSPSS was 0.94.
2.2.5. Covariates
Given that previous research found that gender and age were related
with online self-presentation (Chen, Xie, Ping, & Wang, 2017;
Valkenburg, Sumter, & Peter, 2010), they were both controlled in the
statistical analyses. Besides, SNSs use intensity was also controlled in
the statistical analyses as well. Age was measured by the participant's
age in years. Gender was a dichotomous variable (male = 1,
Personality and Individual Differences 128 (2018) 133–138
PSS
(Moderator)
FoMO ASP
(Mediator) (Outcome)
female = 0). SNSs use intensity was measured by the modified version
of the Facebook Intensity (Ellison, Steinfield, & Lampe, 2007), which
consists of 8 items (e.g., “SNSs are part of my everyday activity”). In the
present study, Cronbach's α for this scale was 0.78.
2.3. Procedure
All materials and procedures were approved by the Ethics in Human
Research Committee of the first author's university. The convenience
sampling was applied to select the target school. The data were col-
lected in middle school classrooms in March 2017. Informed consent
was obtained from the participants and the parents. Students were in-
vited to participate in the survey anonymously in the classrooms. Well-
trained psychology postgraduate students conducted the survey. The
authenticity, independence, and integral nature of all answers were
emphasized to the participants. Students were informed that their
participation was voluntary and they could terminate their participa-
tion anytime they want. Participants received a gift as incentives.
2.4. Statistical analysis
Firstly, the study calculated descriptive statistics and bivariate
correlations for the variables of interest and control variables. Secondly,
the study followed MacKinnon's (2008) four-step procedure to test the
mediation effect. Thirdly, the study further examined whether the
mediation process was moderated by perceived social support. Mod-
erated mediation is often applied to test whether the magnitude of a
mediation is conditional on the value of a moderator (Hayes, 2013).
The analysis of moderated mediation model was conducted using
Hayes's (2013) PROCESS macro (Model 58). The bootstrapping method
was applied to examine the significance of the effects so as to obtain
robust standard errors for parameter estimation (Hayes, 2013). The
bootstrapping method produced 95% bias-corrected confidence inter-
vals of these effects from 1000 resamples of the data. Confidence in-
tervals that do not include zero indicate effects that are significant at
α = 0.05.
3. Results
3.1. Preliminary analyses
Means, standard deviations, and zero-order correlations for all study
variables are shown in Table 1. As predicted, both the need to belong
and FoMO were positively associated with adolescent authentic self-
presentation on SNSs (r = 0.20, p < 0.001 and r = 0.18, p < 0.001,
respectively). Besides, the need to belong was positively related with
FoMO and perceived social support (r = 0.40, p < 0.001, (r = 0.39,
p < 0.001). In addition, perceived social support was positively cor-
related with the need to belong, FoMO, and authentic self-presentation
on SNSs (r = 0.39, p < 0.001; r = 0.12, p < 0.01, and r = 0.38,
135
P. Wang et al. Personality and Individual Differences 128 (2018) 133–138

Table 1
Descriptive statistics and correlations of the main study variables.

Variables M SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1. Gender 0.52 0.50 1

2. Age 16.43 0.93 0.04 1
3. SNSUI 0.00 0.70 −0.02 0.01 1
4. NTB 3.30 0.51 −0.06 −0.25⁎⁎⁎ 0.23⁎⁎⁎ 1
5. FoMO 2.87 0.62 −0.00 −0.05 0.37⁎⁎⁎ 0.40⁎⁎⁎ 1
6. PSS 4.55 1.27 −0.11⁎⁎ −0.36⁎⁎⁎ 0.11⁎⁎ 0.39⁎⁎⁎ 0.12⁎⁎ 1
7. ASP 3.90 1.18 −0.11⁎⁎ −0.12⁎⁎ 0.16⁎⁎⁎ 0.20⁎⁎⁎ 0.18⁎⁎⁎ 0.38⁎⁎⁎ 1

Note. N = 832. Gender was dummy coded such that 1 = male and 0 = female. SNSUI = SNSs use intensity, NTB = the need to belong, PSS = perceived social support, ASP = authentic
self-presentation on SNSs.
⁎⁎
p < 0.01.
⁎⁎⁎
p < 0.001.

p < 0.001; respectively). total effect. Overall, the four criteria for establishing mediation effect
were fully satisfied. Therefore, Hypothesis 1 was supported.

3.2. Testing for mediation effect

In Hypothesis 1, the current study expected that FoMO would
mediate the relation between the need to belong and authentic self-
presentation on SNSs. To examine this hypothesis, this study followed
MacKinnon's (2008) four-step procedure to establish the mediation ef-
fect, which demands (a) a significant relation between the need to
belong and authentic self-presentation on SNSs; (b) a significant rela-
tion between the need to belong and FoMO; (c) a significant relation
FoMO and authentic self-presentation on SNSs while controlling for the
need to belong; (d) a significant coefficient for the indirect path be-
tween the need to belong and authentic self-presentation on SNSs via
FoMO. The bias-corrected percentile bootstrap method determines
whether the last condition is satisfied. The current study estimated
parameters for the mediation effect with PROCESS macro (Model 4) by
Hayes (2013). In all analyses, this study included adolescents' gender,
age and SNSs use intensity as covariates.
Multiple regression analysis indicated that, in the first step, the need
to belong was significantly related with authentic self-presentation on
SNSs, b = 0.33, p < 0.001 (see Model 1 of Table 2). In the second step,
the need to belong was significantly associated with FoMO, b = 0.41,
p < 0.001 (see Model 2 of Table 2). In the third step, when this model
controlled for the need to belong, FoMO was significantly related with
authentic self-presentation on SNSs, b = 0.18, p < 0.05 (see Model 3 of
Table 2). Finally, the bias-corrected percentile bootstrap method
showed that the indirect effect of the need to belong on authentic self-
presentation via FoMO was significant, ab = 0.07, SE = 0.03, 95%
CI = [0.004, 0.149]. The mediation effect accounted for 21.2% of the
3.3. Testing for moderated mediation
In Hypothesis 2, the current study assumed that perceived social
support would moderate the indirect relation between the need to be-
long and authentic self-presentation on SNSs through FoMO. To ex-
amine this moderated mediation hypothesis, the current study esti-
mated parameters for two regression models with PROCESS macro
(Model 58) by Hayes (2013). This study estimated the moderating ef-
fect of perceived social support on the relation between the need to
belong and FoMO (Model 1), and the moderating effect of perceived
social support on the relation between FoMO and authentic self-pre-
sentation on SNSs (Model 2). The parameters of the two models were
presented in Table 3. Gender, age, and SNSs use intensity were included
as covariates in both models. All study variables were standardized in
these analyses.
Moderated mediation would be established if either or both of two
patterns existed (Hayes, 2013): (a) the path between the need to belong
and FoMO was moderated by perceived social support, and/or (b) the
path between FoMO and authentic self-presentation on SNSs was
moderated by perceived social support.
As Table 3 shows, in Model 1 there was a significant main effect of
the need to belong on FoMO, b = 0.36, p < 0.001, and this effect was
not moderated by perceived social support. Model 2 showed that the
effect of FoMO on authentic self-presentation on SNSs was significant,
Table 3
Testing the moderated mediation effect of the need to belong on authentic self-pre-
sentation on SNSs.

Table 2 Predictors Model 1 Model 2

Testing the mediation effect of the need to belong on authentic self-presentation on SNSs. (FoMO) (ASP)

Predictors Model 1 Model 2 Model 3 b t b t

(ASP) (FoMO) (ASP)
Gender 0.04 0.73 −0.14 −2.20⁎
b t b t b t Age 0.03 0.72 0.02 0.47
SNSUI 0.42 9.30⁎⁎⁎ 0.14 2.78⁎⁎
Gender −0.22 −2.83⁎⁎ 0.03 0.84 −0.23 −2.89⁎⁎ NTB 0.36 10.47⁎⁎⁎ 0.00 0.03
Age −0.10 −2.34⁎ 0.02 1.07 −0.11 −2.45⁎ PSS −0.05 −1.33 0.33 8.99⁎⁎⁎
SNSUI 0.21 3.60⁎⁎⁎ 0.26 9.31⁎⁎⁎ 0.16 2.68⁎⁎ NTB × PSS −0.05 −1.63
NTB 0.33 4.02⁎⁎⁎ 0.41 10.45⁎⁎⁎ 0.26 2.96⁎⁎ FoMO 0.12 3.31⁎⁎
FoMO 0.18 2.44⁎ FoMO × PSS −0.14 −4.60⁎⁎⁎
R2 0.07 0.24 0.08 R2 0.24 0.19
F 15.17⁎⁎⁎ 64.95⁎⁎⁎ 13.40⁎⁎⁎ F 44.13⁎⁎⁎ 27.83⁎⁎⁎

Note. N = 832. Each column is a regression model that predicts the criterion at the top of Note: N = 832. Gender was dummy coded such that 1 = male and 0 = female.
the column. Gender was dummy coded such that 1 = male and 0 = female. SNSUI = SNSs use intensity, NTB = the need to belong, PSS = perceived social support,
SNSUI = SNSs use intensity, NTB = the need to belong, PSS = perceived social support, ASP = authentic self-presentation on SNSs. Each column is a regression model that pre-
ASP = authentic self-presentation on SNSs. dicts the criterion at the top of the column.
⁎ ⁎
p < 0.05. p < 0.05.
⁎⁎ ⁎⁎
p < 0.01. p < 0.01.
⁎⁎⁎ ⁎⁎⁎
p < 0.001. p < 0.001.

136
P. Wang et al.
Fig. 2. Authentic as a function of FoMO and perceived social support. Functions are
graphed for two levels of perceived social support: 1standard deviation above the mean
and 1 standard deviation below the mean. Note that the graph is for descriptive purpose
only. All inferential analyses maintained the continuous values of FoMO and perceived
social support.
b = 0.12, p < 0.01, and more importantly, this effect was moderated
by perceived social support, b = −0.14, p < 0.01. For descriptive
purposes, this study plotted predicted authentic self-presentation on
SNSs against FoMO, separately for low and high levels of perceived
social support (1 SD below the mean and 1 SD above the mean, re-
spectively) (Fig. 2). Simple slope tests showed that for adolescents with
a low level of perceived social support, high level of FoMO was asso-
ciated with high level of authentic self-presentation on SNSs,
bsimple = 0.26, p < 0.001. However, for adolescents with a high level
of perceived social support, the effect of FoMO on authentic self-pre-
sentation on SNSs was not significant, bsimple = −0.02, p > 0.05.
Therefore, Hypothesis 2 was partially supported.
4. Discussion
4.1. The mediating role of FoMO
Consistent with the belonging hypothesis (Baumeister & Leary,
1995) and the compensatory Internet use theory (Kardefelt-Winther,
2014), the present study indicated that FoMO mediated the relation
between the need to belong and authentic self-presentation on SNSs.
Therefore, FoMO could be one of the explanatory mechanisms for why
adolescents with a high level of need to belong are more likely to au-
thentically present themselves on SNSs. To date, the present study is the
first to report such findings in this area. These findings provide evi-
dence for the belongingness hypothesis (Baumeister & Leary, 1995),
which suggests that people with high levels of need to belong would
pay more attention to their social bonds, and make more efforts to gain
satisfying social connections. These findings also provide support for
the compensatory Internet use theory (Kardefelt-Winther, 2014), which
assumes that individuals may turn to the cyberspace to compensate for
their unmet psychological needs such as relatedness. Although some
studies have explored the relation between the need to belong and self-
disclosure on SNSs (Buglass et al., 2017), and the relation between
FoMO and self-disclosure on SNSs (Alt, 2015; Buglass et al., 2017; Lai
et al., 2016; Przybylski et al., 2013), none of them have directly ex-
plored the relation between the need to belong and authentic self-
presentation on SNSs (a specific form of self-presentation or self-dis-
closure).
In addition to the overall mediation result, each of the separate
associations in the mediation model is noteworthy. For the first stage of
the mediation (i.e., the need to belong → FoMO), our findings support
the notion that people with high needs for social connections are more
137
Personality and Individual Differences 128 (2018) 133–138
afraid that their friends may have rewarding experiences without them.
For the second stage of the mediation stage (i.e., FoMO → authentic-
self-presentation on SNSs), the present study indicates that FoMO could
be one of the reasons for authentic self-presentation on SNSs, this
finding could advance our understanding of why millions of adolescents
choose to present themselves authentically on SNSs. Besides, given that
prior studies find authentic self-presentation on SNSs can boost people's
well-being (Wang et al., in press; Xie et al., in press), and passively
using the SNSs can damage users' well-being (Shaw, Timpano, Tran, &
Joormann, 2015), it would be better for adolescents to use the SNSs in
an active way than in a passive way.
4.2. The moderating role of perceived social support
The results showed that perceived social support only moderated
the path between FoMO and authentic self-presentation on SNSs
(second stage moderation). As expected, the relation between FoMO
and authentic self-presentation on SNSs was significant for adolescents
with a low level of perceived social support, it was not significant for
adolescents with a high level of perceived social support. As the social
support buffering hypothesis (Cohen & Wills, 1985) suggests, perceived
social support may buffer individuals from the influences of adverse
situations. Therefore, for adolescents with a high level of perceived
social support, the relation between FoMO and authentic self-pre-
sentation on SNSs was buffered by perceived social support. For ado-
lescents without sufficient social support, the relation between FoMO
and authentic self-presentation on SNSs was significant. Therefore,
perceived social support can be regarded as a hopeful indicator to
distinguish whether adolescents with a high level of FoMO would
choose to present themselves authentically on the cyberspace, such as
SNSs. These results indicate that for adolescents with a high level of
perceived social support in the offline context, they may not choose to
present themselves authentically on the cyberspace such as SNSs, even
if they have a high level of FoMO. But for adolescents with a low level
of perceived social support in their real life, they are more likely to
present themselves on SNSs if they have a high level of FoMO, and this
can in turn increase their well-being (Kim & Lee, 2011; Wang et al., in
press; Xie et al., in press). Therefore, SNSs can be a promising avenue
for adolescents with a low level of perceived social support to increase
their well-being.
Contrary to our expectation, perceived social support did not
moderate the relationship between the need to belong and FoMO (first
stage moderation). This result could be explained by the potent role
that people's need for belong plays in people's lives. As Baumeister and
Leary (1995) argue, the need to belong is a fundamental and extremely
pervasive human motivation, which has profound impacts on people's
emotions, cognitions, and behaviors. Therefore, people with high level
of need to belong would have a high level of FoMO, regardless of
whether they have a high or a low level of perceived social support.
Taken together, by integrating perceived social support as a mod-
erator into the model, the present study revealed effects that may have
been neglected without the moderation analysis. The moderated med-
iation model in the present study is conceptually more sophisticated
and provides greater predictive power that the mediation model alone.
4.3. Implications
The findings of the present studies have some important implica-
tions. First, these findings indicate that the need to belong can predict
self-presentation on SNSs among adolescents, which can advance our
understanding of why millions of adolescents choose to present them-
selves actively on social media such as SNSs. Given that authentic self-
presentation on SNSs could boost adolescent well-being (Kim & Lee,
2011; Wang et al., in press; Xie et al., in press), it can be beneficial for
adolescents to present themselves on SNSs authentically. However, if
users choose to present themselves on SNSs while they are driving,
P. Wang et al.
walking or staying with their friends, which might also negatively affect
their physical and mental health. It is important for parents and edu-
cators to teach adolescents to use SNSs in a proper time and space.
Second, our findings can help researchers understand how the need to
belong is associated with authentic self-presentation, which might en-
lighten future studies in this area. Third, our findings suggest that
perceived social support may buffer adolescents from the influences of
certain psychological diathesis such as FoMO, these perceived supports
may come from adolescents' offline connections including families,
friends, and important others. It is helpful to understand how adoles-
cents' offline relationships can affect their online behaviors in the di-
gital era.
4.4. Limitations and future directions
Several limitations must be considered when interpreting the results
of the present study. First, the present study was cross-sectional de-
signed and could not infer causality. Further studies should use ex-
perimental or longitudinal design to confirm the causal hypotheses in
this study. Second, the measures were based on self-report, future stu-
dies should try to collect data from multiple informants (e.g., parents,
teachers) to further replicate our findings. Third, different sources of
social support may have diverse impacts on authentic self-presentation
on SNSs among adolescents. Future studies should further examine the
relations between specific social support and authentic self-presenta-
tion on SNSs among adolescents.
5. Conclusion
In summary, the present indicates that the need to belong can
predict authentic self-presentation on SNSs among adolescents. Further,
the mediation analysis shows that FoMO can be one possible me-
chanism underlying this relationship. Moreover, moderated mediation
reveals that perceived social support moderates the relation between
FoMO and authentic self-presentation on SNSs among adolescents, with
the relation being significant only for adolescents with a low level of
perceived social support.
Acknowledgement
The present study was supported by the Key Research Institute in
Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education (Academy
of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University)
(14JJD190005), the Key Project of Social Science Fund of Beijing,
China (15SHA005), the Outstanding Innovative Talents Cultivation
Funded Programs 2017 of Renmin University of China, the
Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, and the
Research Funds of Department of Psychology of Renmin University of
China.
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