The Rise and Fall of MySpace
Since the dawn of the internet, different companies have fought for the crown of best social media platform. From copying each others ideas to creating something brand new, social media companies have been through it all.
Since its arrival to the internet in 2003, MySpace has been through its fair share of ups and downs. MySpace’s creators took ideas from older versions of social media like Friendster, and created their own idea of what social media is. “The site was the first social network to reach a global audience and had a significant influence on technology, pop culture and music” (Wikipedia). MySpace popped off almost immediately. It ended up being very popular amongst teens and young adults as a way to keep up with current friends and make new ones. As well as making and catching up with friends, MySpace could often be used as a dating site. It was nothing like the dating sites we see in the app store today but it definitely had its impact.
Although MySpace was only at the top of its game from 2005–2008, it left a huge impact on what we know as social media today. “MySpace was the pioneer in social media. It was the gateway for a whole generation into the world of online interaction, fueling a revolution in life online. So many of the standards of social engagement that we take for granted today exist because of MySpace” (Imaginovation Insider). As well as that, it opened up the idea of online dating. It led us down the path of finding and making friends and laid the ground work for platforms like Snapchat and Facebook. MySpace was a place where you could share your interests and find others who had the same interests. You could make posts and keep each other up to date on anything. It really helped make social media what it is.
Even at its highest point, MySpace had competitors coming after them left and right and it was only a matter of time until someone caught up. That someone was Facebook. Facebook started as a site for only college students which left it very similar to MySpace. However, when Facebook opened its doors for everyone, MySpace began to crumble. MySpace saw less and less users while Facebook saw more and more. Eventually the user profiles on MySpace began to dwindle out and made room for a multitude of other platforms. However, MySpace did some rebranding and is still a site you can visit today. In visiting the site today, you can find an almost Pinterest like set up designed around music. “Now, the ad-supported website is all about not only making music personal, but more importantly, social. And this is the main reason for Myspace’s newfound success” (CBS).
Although MySpace didn’t last as long as a lot of todays social media, it created a platform for all of todays social media to branch off of. We wouldn’t have online dating. We wouldn’t have TikTok or Snapchat. And we certainly wouldn’t have Facebook. MySpace did its job and played its role in social media history and you can still visit the site today!
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