The Return of Myspace: Could a Substantial Redesign Save the Grandfather of Modern Social Networks?
Sep. 26, 2012
On Monday, I was scouring the Internet for my daily media buzz when I stumbled upon an article on the Mashable website. The headline mentioned something about Justin Timberlake and because I couldn’t really justify posting celebrity hear-say (no matter how juicy) on our Facebook or Twitter account, I was forced to move on with my search but made a mental note to check on Mr. Timberlake later.
As it turns out, that Timberlake tidbit caused quite a stir within the social media platforms. If you’ll recall about eight years ago, there was a website called Myspace. Yeah, you remember. Back when you could have your “Top 8” friends’ profiles accessible on your page, embed glittery stickers on your profile and update your mood emoticon. It became a huge success nearly overnight and then plummeted in the social rankings just as quickly. For the past couple years, Myspace has been referred to as a failure since Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest have taken center stage.
Timberlake is co-owner of Myspace and announced Monday the site will be making a comeback.
From what we see of the sneak peek video, the new design feels like a mash up of Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Spotify.
A couple reasons why the new Myspace could work:
- Facebook’s declining IPO – It never quite lived up to the hype. Facebook’s declining market value has been in the news quite a bit this year and because their market value is deteriorating, big name investors are starting to pull their advertising. If investors and users alike find that Facebook is starting to lose its value, they will begin looking for a replacement.
- New website design – The new Myspace takes after Pinterest in its addictive masonry style design and infinite scrolling abilities. The entirety of sharing images, hobbies and interests reminds me of a certain concept Mark Zuckerberg came up with a few years back as well but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?
- All about the user – We like things that are all about us. We enjoy collecting bits and pieces of images and songs that express who we are and sharing them with whomever will look and listen. Studies found “our brains respond to self-disclosure the same way they respond to pleasure triggers.” And it seems this general idea is exactly what the newest version of Myspace is going to be about.
There are already mixed reviews about the Myspace overhaul and it has sparked much curiosity, but will it be too little too late for them?
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