January 27, 2008

Three Reasons I'll Never Use Myspace Again

Myspace has become a fad for High Schoolers. A number of my friends tell me I should get a Myspace. But every time I refuse. I've gotten a Myspace twice and each time I’ve deleted it later on. The first time I deleted it and promised myself to never get one again. The second time I was lured into getting it again by one of my friends even though internally I knew it would be a mistake. I decided to make this post, so if I ever feel tempted to make a Myspace again I'll remind myself of these reasons NOT to get a Myspace.

1. It’s a superficial popularity contest. I remember being amazed at how many friends people had on their Myspaces when I first started. 2000 friends? That was an incredible number to me. However, soon after I realized that majority of those “friends” were people they didn't even know. They were just adding random people to boost their friend count. One of my friends had a rather coveted number, but she couldn't even fill up her top eight with legitimate close friends. Most of the teenagers on Myspace want to prove to everyone how popular they are and it is way to prove how popular they are. Shouldn't they be confident in themselves instead of letting a number prove it?

The people on Myspace are so obsessed with the number of comments and friends that they have that many of them beg for them. I remember reading so many bulletins that were begging people to comment their pictures or their general site. In return they promised to comment them back. I can't understand why it is so important. They are just numbers.

2. You can quickly become obsessed with it. "I check my Myspace twenty times a day." This was the answer I got when I asked one of my friends how often she went on her Myspace. At first I couldn't understand how she could waste so much time on it, but then I remembered I used to be the same way. I used to waste so many hours of my life checking my Myspace. But the worst part is that I let it control my emotions.

If I got new comments or friend request I felt special and happy. But if I didn't get any new comments or friend requests I would feel sad. I was letting a number control my happiness. It seems silly to me now, but then it was so important. And I'm not the only one who feels this way. Many people who use Myspace let it control their happiness, yet they continue to use it.

3. It can hurt friendships. Myspace has ended so many friendships. It's just so much easier to be a jerk when you don't have to say something to someone's face. One time I got into a fight with some ex-friends over the internet. All of us forwarded the arguments to people and posted some of the messages in bulletins. Thinking back I wonder how I could have been so petty. A fight should be done in person and shouldn't include outside people. It should be private and name calling should be excluded.

Another example of how friendships can be hurt through Myspace is your "top friends". I remember this girl telling me that her best friend "hated her", because she moved her down a few places on her top eight. Honestly, that is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard.

The bottom line: There are some positives about Myspace like staying touch with friends or family. However, I feel that the negative outweighs the positive. Do you think Myspace is worthwhile, or do you agree with me that it just isn't worth it?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I never got into Myspace because most of the designs were horrific and I just hated the music some people played. However, there is some ingenuity out there.

Ashley Qualls turned making MySpace templates for free into a VERY profitable business.

Then of course is Facebook. I never got into that either but again, you see the monetization of it. Watch out for those cute little apps you install because they just are data miners...

Shines a new light on these social networks but again, it's a business opportunity.

Selene said...

Myspace is great if you plan to make money off of it. A great example of monetizing on Myspace is selling records for bands. However, I believe if you use it purely for personal reasons than it isn't worthwhile.

Martin said...

Hi Selene,

thanks for your comment about Entrecard on my blog, I hope it brings you lots of readers.

I never really got into Myspace, I think I did signup and I have a page but I never put anything on it, my Fiancee is abig Facebook user though.

Cheers
Martin

A. Caleb Hartley - Business Consultant & Entrepreneur said...

I have a MySpace and a Facebook account, but I really rarely log into them. The only time I bother to check them at all is if I get an email telling me someone has sent me a message.

I agree with you, that if you approve people who "friend" you that you don't even know, have never even met, and in all likelihood will NEVER meet, it's pointless. Unless you are trying to make money. But even then you need to know your customer...

Anyway - keep up the good work!

Namaste,
A. Caleb Hartley
Environment News and Notes

Selene said...

@ Martin
My pleasure, I love to comment on other people's blogs. It's always so much fun to find new blogs.

@ A. Caleb Hartley
I just can't see the point in adding someone you don't know and will never talk to on Myspace. Their not really your "friend". It just adds to a pointless number (friend count) that increases your so called "popularity".

Chungyen Chang said...

One time I got into a fight with some ex-friends over the internet. All of us forwarded the arguments to people and posted some of the messages in bulletins. Thinking back I wonder how I could have been so petty. A fight should be done in person and shouldn't include outside people. It should be private and name calling should be excluded.

I totally agree here. It's so stupid seeing people posting bulletins to each other instead of just talking in person or on the phone. It makes me wonder if we even know how to interact with each other anymore.