February 13, 2006
View Comments | Post CommentMyspace: Who actually likes this crap?
I just got done commiserating with someone over how much we dislike Myspace. She was goaded by friends into signing up about a week ago, and already can't stand it. I was goaded by friends into signing up last summer, and continue to hate it.
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We came up with a theory, extrapolating our plights into a universal quagmire: Just as we had been forced to join by our friends, so our friends must have been forced to join by theirs. They, in turn, were made to join by their friends, and so on. Tracing the chain back far enough, the only user actually to have wanted to join Myspace was, in fact, Tom himself. Every single other Myspace user is only there by coercion.
Myspace, like Facebook, facilitates reconnections with old friends and acquaintances from undergrad, high school, and even earlier. But unlike Facebook, Myspace allows blogging and the posting of "bulletins," which create a lot of problems. Specifically, one continually has to read bulletins from those of one's former acquaintances who did not end up being so fortunate as to attend institutions of higher learning, or have not become modern and discerning enough not to hang on to overt racism. Not that I ever fit in all that well to the Seffner, FL intellectual vibe, but it didn't seem so ignorant when I was around it all the time.
But now I'm made to read things about how if one writes one's name backwards, it will look like a "terrorist name" (i.e. a middle eastern name, for those who aren't fluent in Republicanese); about all that's wrong with the world today; that, in fact, all the dumb white people voted for Kerry; that not re-posting a chain letter can leave one involuntarily celibate; that Democrats are all "girly men;" that Cindy Sheehan is a prostitute; that every major news source in this country with the exception of Fox News and the Washington Times is run by Michael Moore; and that all Muslims, American and foreign, dance in the streets every time an American soldier dies. Ugh.
Of course, I could simply stop going there. I never actually just go troll Myspace. But every once in a while, I get an email saying some person has sent me a message. Those times, I will go check the message out, and then, on a foolish lark, check to see if any interesting bulletins have been posted. For future reference, none have. Ever.
Posted at February 13, 2006 2:44 AM | Comments (12)
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So really, it's exactly like a blog, only with ignorant people?
Posted by: Ben Stark at February 13, 2006 6:30 AM
Well, it's more like millions of peoples' blogs combined with a social networking site like Facebook or Friendster, combined with a message board for fans of NASCAR.
Posted by: David Barzelay at February 13, 2006 6:33 AM
To me, the thing that separates MySpace from Facebook or Friendster is the music angle. I haven't really taken much advantage of this, but my friend Aaron is friends with a lot of Houston bands so he can find out when and where they're playing easily and relay the information. (Though fat lot of good it does me now that I'm in Tampa.) Personally, I agree that they filled it with too much additional crap, but I like the music thing.
Posted by: Mike at February 13, 2006 10:23 AM
Actually, Mike, the single worst feature of Myspace has to do with music. I am referring, of course, to users who have some song playing on their homepage. So as soon as I go to the pages of everyone, including the people I liked prior to viewing their homepage, I have some shitty song blaring at me, disrupting the pacific melodies of whatever I'm playing at the time, and leaving me to scramble frantically to pause it before it makes me shoot myself.
Oh, and what? You're in Tampa? You know I'm from Tampa. I can tell you about a zillion things to do and places to go. I can tell you where all the cool kids are. I can tell you where the magic happens. Holla at me and I'll be your Fodor's.
Posted by: David Barzelay at February 13, 2006 11:21 AM
wasn't myspace started with the intent (or at least partially) of being a forum for local bands to get out their music for free and be able to tell a whole lot of people in their area about where and when their shows are? although i do think that people having music on their own page is annoying as crap. and i also hate when people have 100 different gifs, with a weird background so that you can't read anything.
Posted by: Ula at February 13, 2006 4:56 PM
Agreed on the people having music on their personal pages being annoying as hell. I was more pointing out Ula's point, that it's a great way for local bands to share some music, keep fans up to date about shows and songs, and so forth.
And yes, I am in Tampa. Actually, the other side of the bay, Palm Harbor. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew you were likewise from this area. I've only been here a week and don't have a clue what all's around, so if you wanted to shower me with your knowledge I'd be quite appreciative. I'll have my people call your people.
Posted by: Mike at February 14, 2006 10:50 AM
HA! Oh dear, I'm so glad that I've stopped getting those republicanese type email forwards. It might have something to do with no longer speaking to my extended family.
I hate myspace too. I have not yet given in to the coercion.
Posted by: meredith at February 14, 2006 11:36 AM
never mind.
i realized that you can find pictures of younglifers from high school drinking and getting fat, so i joined up for said purposes.
myspace still sucks, but it's more entertaining than friendster.
Posted by: meredith at February 19, 2006 11:29 AM
I use myspace as a time waster. Of course, I only add college friends and workplace friends, so that cuts down on the ignorance element.
Still, the autoplay music on the homepage is annoying, and going for an originalist construction of MySpace as band promoter doesn't excuse giving people the unfettered ability to shove sucky music down my throat.
Back to my "Spin Doctors" album.
Posted by: Gabriel at February 20, 2006 4:40 PM
TOM IS NOT MY FRIEND
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