Testing the hypothesized model
The variables in our model were all modeled as
latent constructs. The construct reflecting the use of
the friend networking site was measured by three
items and well-being by five items. The frequency
of reactions to profiles, the tone of the reactions to
profiles, and the number of relationships established
by the site were each measured by two
items. The latent construct social self-esteem was
formed by the three subscales measuring physical
appearance self-esteem, close friendship selfesteem,
and romantic appeal self-esteem. For reasons
of clarity, we do not present the measurement
model (i.e., the factor-analytic models) in our
graphical presentation of the results. However, all
factor-analytic models led to adequate descriptions
of the data. The factor loadings were all above 0.44