Friend Networking Sites and Their Relationship to Adolescents' Well-Being and Social Self-Esteem

TLDR

The study examined how friend‑networking sites influence adolescents' self‑esteem and well‑being. A survey of 881 Dutch adolescents aged 10–19 with online profiles on a friend‑networking site was conducted. Greater site usage indirectly enhanced social self‑esteem and well‑being by fostering more relationships, more frequent feedback, and a more positive tone, whereas negative feedback had the opposite effect.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the consequences of friend networking sites (e.g., Friendster, MySpace) for adolescents' self-esteem and well-being. We conducted a survey among 881 adolescents (10-19-year-olds) who had an online profile on a Dutch friend networking site. Using structural equation modeling, we found that the frequency with which adolescents used the site had an indirect effect on their social self-esteem and well-being. The use of the friend networking site stimulated the number of relationships formed on the site, the frequency with which adolescents received feedback on their profiles, and the tone (i.e., positive vs. negative) of this feedback. Positive feedback on the profiles enhanced adolescents' social self-esteem and well-being, whereas negative feedback decreased their self-esteem and well-being.