MySpace is very popular for its freedom in individuality and expression. From my surfing of these profiles, I can tell why it's known for that, and why it is so popular in the first place. It really does offer the individual a lot of freedom to express him/herself in any way he/she wants. URL addresses get as unique as www.myspace.com/blondesecret to cupcakes4fun, and crazydude2010. Surfing through these profiles, I noticed and became very familiar with the format of the profiles. I noticed that some profiles were very plain and straightforward with a simple introduction, status section, and comments form, while some profiles were highly decorated with photos, graphics, videos, and music playlists in front of flashy backgrounds.
A few profiles were outrageous and almost very amateur-like work and less professional. You can tell that MySpace does not limit users' choices and options with what they want to include in their profiles. Some users' profile page get so long that it requires a visitor to scroll down through the page. The information a user shares is pretty basic. I feel like the information nowadays is less specific and more toned down compared to previous years, and I bet this is due to the past controversies and public awareness of online predators and risks. For example, on profiles, many people only specify their gender, age, basic address (city, state, country), and basic interests.
MySpace is also very well known for its music segment. As stated in the Marwick reading, MySpace has become key in music promotion. One profile that's currently trending was Lady Gaga's profile. Surfing through her profile, everything was straightforward and pretty organized and easy to surf through. The profile explicitly had a music playlist of her songs, updates, videos, photos, album information, and her schedules of upcoming shows for fans and visitors. Overall, it was very well organized and not too over-the-top. The profile page seemed more likely that a professional designer laid out the information, rather than an amateur designer; it had a more "professional look, but MySpace style and formatting." I'd say it's a pretty effective way to promote the artist!--an audio music playlist and all information on the artist's current status all on one page!
I think the Myspace phenomenon is so interesting! When it first came out people created profiles to meet other people. They would post pictures, tag their friends, and have their "top 8" friends. It sounds like a low grade version of facebook to me. And honestly, I think that's what it is. After facebook took over the social networking arena, myspace was smart, and found a niche in music. The site has profile capabilities that facebook does not, and it attract artists. Similar to youtube, there have been many people found on Myspace and Myspace even has its own record label now.
ReplyDeleteFacebook seems so dominating that it is hard to imagine another social networking site that could do more or take over the market. but that's what people must have thought about Myspace at the time. I wonder what the next step, or site, is?