The Relationship Between Fear of Missing Out and the Ability to Evaluate Information Credibility Among Library Science Students at Universitas Muhammadiyah Sinjai

Abstract

Research Objective. This investigation seeks to examine the relationship between Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) and the ability to evaluate information credibility among Library Science students at Universitas Muhammadiyah Sinjai, exploring the cognitive processes underlying this dynamic. Research Method. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was employed, involving 38 respondents for the quantitative survey phase and 3 key informants for the subsequent qualitative phase. Analysis Data. Quantitative evaluations utilized simple linear regression to determine statistical associations, while textual data were examined using thematic analysis grounded in the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. Results. Statistical analysis revealed a significant positive association between Fear of Missing Out and information credibility evaluation proficiency (R² = 0.325, p = 0.000183). Contrary to the normative premise that FoMO induces analytical disengagement, elevated FoMO scores in this sample were statistically correlated with higher evaluation scores. Qualitative findings provide an explanatory framework for this correlational pattern, indicating that students interpret online pressure through their specialized information literacy training. Rather than succumbing to viral trends, informants reported engaging in systematic cross-verification using academic databases and discounting virality metrics as indicators of factual credibility. Within this context, cognitive vigilance emerged as a key interpretive theme describing how students manage informational tension. Conclusions. Among students with specialized library science training, higher levels of FoMO are positively correlated with careful information credibility evaluation. The qualitative phase indicates that academic literature curation practices and literacy foundations help channel the urgency to stay connected into disciplined information verification.

Keywords: Fear of Missing Out; Information Behavior; Information Credibility Evaluation; Information Literacy.