A recent global online survey reveals that 64% of people experience FOMO – a Fear Of Missing Out – when they go without internet access.

More than 9,400 people from varying age groups, a third from Asia, took part in the study, commissioned by Tata Communications. Analysis focused on behavioral associations, emotional connections and technical understanding of the internet.

More than 2.5 billion people (a third of the world's population) are connected to the internet today, according to the Tata research report Connected World II. The number of connected devices meanwhile will rise to 26 billion by 2020, according to Gartner forecasts. 

The report says that internet use and dependence has risen to a point where FOMO – associated with modern technologies and social networking – has become a global phenomenon.

Select findings from the report include:

• Asian respondents lead the world in displaying negative emotions without an internet connection, at 80%
• Asia has the most active internet population. 46% of Indian and 43% of Singaporean respondents spend more than six hours per day online, compared to a global average of 29% 
• Only 48% of Singaporeans and 44% of Indians surveyed said they were capable of lasting up to 12 hours without internet access