Essay

Has the media enhanced the popularity of Myspace?

Myspace is an online social networking tool that allows users to keep in contact with family and friends as well as meet new people from all over the world. Myspace was established in 2003 and over the past 5 years, its popularity has soared to approximately 5 million memberships a month, according to Myspace statistics.[1] There have been a number of aspects that have contributed to the popularity of Myspace, some including online advertising, networking, the functions and opportunities available through membership and media representation.

The media has contributed to the enhancement of Myspace in a number of ways. Users of Myspace are provided with the opportunity to find and express their identity through an online tool used world wide. However, as many young people in today’s society are struggling in finding who they are, the media has assisted them by becoming a major influence in encouraging youth to fit in with what society deems normal. Also, the media has alerted many people, particularly adults to the dangers associated with Myspace. They also seem to publicise the bad over the good, whereas as young people neglect the bad stereotypes portrayed throughout the media and continue to use it constructively to communicate with old and new friends.

In some sense, rebellion could also be considered an aspect that is helping the media enhance Myspace because with all the bad publicity Myspace receives, parents are encouraged to protect their children from the harms and dangers that reside from this website. Furthermore, Myspace has been generally over publicised in the media creating an obsession and addiction among today’s generation of teenagers. The more teenagers hear about it, the more they want to get involved. Regardless of the way in which the media is portraying Myspace, teenagers are finding it necessary to conform to the latest craze and go against the negative stereotype that has created merely to fit in and not be considered oppositional.

The media is considered a major influence in the lives every individual. There are many factors within today’s society that contribute media representations. It also plays a major role in the popularity and infamy of different subjects. News reporting is a very influential process that can portray subjects both positive and negative. Most articles and reports have the ability to persuade readers into believing what has been written. Myspace has received some positive but mostly negative publication, and as the majority of readers and viewers excel outside the youth division, many perceive Myspace as a danger to young people rather than a resourceful communication tool.

A newspaper article titled Fake profile mum faces charges was published on the 11th of January, 2008 and was written by technology reporter Andrew Ramadge.[2] This article has been publicised throughout the media used as an example to discourage young people to use Myspace. It tells of the fake profile mum that tormented and harassed a thirteen year girl over Myspace, this incident in which became the cause of this young girls self inflicted death. This tragic incident persuaded bad publicity towards the online tool, saying that it is dangerous and not safe for children.

This article misrepresents Myspace, making readers believe that this sort of incident happens all the time, when in fact users know that it doesn’t. Myspace provide users with privacy and security of their personal profile, however, it is up to the user to utilize these functions and apply them to its maximum advantage. Due to this incident and few others concerning minors and online bullying, Myspace has changed its privacy and security acts so that Myspace users under the age of 14 have their profiles protected and restricted from people that are over 18 that they do not know [3]. This will hopefully prevent some online harassment but unfortunately people online aren’t always who they say they are, so warnings have been applied also to take precautions and be careful and aware of what could happen.

Myspace is not as dangerous as the media often perceives it. Yes, there are people on it that cause problems, but with over 27 million users [4], it would become difficult to keep track of every comment posted and determine whether or not profiles are accurate or not. Furthermore, Myspace can be viewed in a positive light as well and with the influence of the media, Myspace is actually helping in the development of our future generation of adults.

The media offers a stereotypical perception of what society expects from today’s generation of youth. Young people often turn to the media for ideas about how to act, what to wear and what is considered ‘cool’ at the time. Danah Boyd, a PhD candidate at the University of California and an expert on the subject of Myspace, explains in an article that ‘everyday, we dress ourselves in a set of clothes that conveys something about our identity…. This is identity production.’[5]

It is fair to say that Myspace is an example of identity production. Each Myspace profile that is created becomes a representation of the individual’s identity. Edward, a 17 year old boy from America and a regular user of Myspace states "your page is like your personality,"[6] meaning each picture, phrase, song, etc is an extension of you and who you are. This relates back to identity production and expression of individuality.

In conclusion, the media has portrayed Myspace in a few ways that have determined and enhanced its popularity among young people. Consistent advertising and publications have made the website renowned world wide regardless of whether or not society has a positive opinion of it. Newspaper articles and television reports have emphasised a negative light on Myspace, particularly towards an older audience, whereas young people and Myspace users believe that the media has had a positive impact on Myspace because it is seen as a place where youth can find who they are and where they belong in society.

Finally, youth often reject the bad stereotypes that media have created in regards to Myspace. They see it as a harmless form of communication technology that if used correctly should cease to create problems. Like many other online communication technologies, the media will always have something good and something bad to say, it is up to us as individuals to trust and believe what we read or rather what we experience and make our own judgement based on what we think and not what everyone else thinks.

Reference
1.http://media.www.thedmonline.com/media/storage/paper876/news/2006/07/13/News/Why-Is.Myspace.So.Popular-2131312.shtml
2. http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,25642,23036822-5014108,00.html
3. http://www.boutell.com/newfaq/sitespecific/whymyspace.html
4. http://www.danah.org/papers/AAAS2006.html
5. http://jcmc.indiana.edu/
6. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2006-01-08-myspace-teens_x.htm