How MySpace Became Socially UselessMySpace is dying because at some point, it became socially useless. The site is still an important hub for many bands, but it’s lost the respect of a large portion of the grassroots music community because it really is socially useless. Economist Umair Haque has an interesting article about how social uselessness led to the great recession of 2008.
To understand what social uselesness really is, just compare two men, Rupert Murdoch and Steve Jobs. Apple is an insanely innovative and insanely loved company because Steve Jobs does business for the sake of creativity, not for the sake of just profit. He works to create actual value for the world , and for that, he has developed a very loyal following.
When you walk into an Apple store, you get the sense that the people working there aren’t just there to sell to you. They’re there because they think Apple is awesome and they want to share Apple’s awesomeness with customers. Compare that to walking into, say, a Best Buy, where you’re trailed by blue-shirted 16 year olds who know next to nothing about electronics or Best Buy, and don’t care. They ‘re just there for the paycheck.
Rupert Murdoch, the current owner of MySpace is out to make money and money only. He’s the human equivalent of Best Buy. Just imagine how different MySpace would be if Steve Jobs had bought it instead of Murdoch.
It’s no secret that Murdoch’s only goal with MySpace is to make money. The site was a breath of fresh air in 2003 when it exploded onto the Internet scene. It started the social media revolution. It began as a useful application to help music makers everywhere create value. But at some point it descended into Dante’s Inferno.
Sadly, it became totally about maximizing eyeballs and serving up as many ads as possible, musicians be damned. MySpace is a mess. It’s God awful. Because its sole purpose has become the selling of advertising, it’s turned into a free for all. A tragedy of the commons. It’s a spam farm. It lacks warmth. And it lost all respect for the idea of community, the very lifeblood of music.
There’s a lesson in this. If all you’re after is money, it becomes awfully easy to dehumanize your users and fans. You see them as mere eyeballs. Like cockroaches. And you forget that they have needs and desires and ideas.
You become socially useless. You don’t make the world any better off.
Like the speculators on Wall Street who helped bring down the global economy. Or like GM, which deployed armies of lobbyists to oppose higher mileage standards until they went bankrupt earlier this year. Or like the major record labels, which spent millions upon millions of dollars marketing synthetic crap to the public. They all thought they could get away with it.
Eventually, social uselessness catches up to you. The world doesn’t accept bad things.
Hopefully, MySpace will get bought out by more responsible people. Until then, I wouldn’t put too much stock in it. Focus more on other social media tools like Twitter, and of course, your own website.
November 12th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
I sensed the downward spiral of Myspace as early as last year. By March of this year, I removed my avatar and replaced it instead with a sign which reflected my attitude to Myspace’s demise. It reads, “Sorry, We are Closed.”
I started to post my comments regarding the death of the this site elsewhere on the web. Instead of considering what I was saying, I was condemned as being loath-fully out of touch. After all, wasn’t social networking the big trend then. Is it still today?
I became more blatantly in my reasons for deserting this beached whale. Still, almost daily, I find (when I return to what was my Myspace page) someone has made a Friendship request. Or send me an invitation that I am not likely to accept. What does, “Sorry, We are Closed” mean? I wasn’t simply trying to be cute.
My first indication of this downward spiral was news that Rupert Murdoch had purchased it for $580 million. Then a complete absence of any promotional news at all regarding the site. Instead of everyone suggesting following them on Myspace, the big thing was following them on Facebook and Twitter. Facebook had quickly surpassed Myspace’s position on the web, and Twitter became the media’s darling.
Why do I still return to Myspace? I guess it’s because I am simply amazed that its beached, bleached and bloated skeleton hasn’t been given a rightful burial, or it hasn’t yet been washed out to sea. The remaining carcass is creating a tremendous smell.
November 14th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Mike,
I just got word this morning that Myspecies may start to stream its music. According to sources, MySpace Music is “almost certainly” going to restrict free streaming and move to a paid model. It seems it is spending over $20 million a month in streaming royalties and this is simply not sustainable–this despite the fact that Myspecies is owned by several of the major labels.
The question now is “Would you pay for Myspace?” I think not. It is only time now before Murdoch approaches the Feds requesting a bail-out. Once too big to fail, Myspecies has become yesterday’s news.
Trends die, so will Myspace.
November 14th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
I don’t think selling digital music is profitable enough to make it worth the cost for record labels because they’re run on 20th century business models…they’re too big and bloated and have to many costs. Selling digital music can be profitable with a smaller, leaner type of company. Although I do commend MySpace for realizing that after a while, free just isn’t sustainable. The best way to make money is to charge a price for something.