I'm about to sound really old
I have tried to understand it but I just don't get myspace. Well, it's not that I don't get it completely because I understand it's usefulness if you are a musician, dj or have any sort of event or creative output to promote. And it goes without saying that I can understand the desire to be self-indulgent and put your thoughts somewhere public for people to read and comment on. But that's just it. I've had people who have lots of intelligent things to say in real life point me to their myspace where, not only do they basically have nothing to say, but nobody seems to have anything to say back to them other than "OMG WE GOT SOOO DRUNK LAST NIGHT!! LOL!" or to post a flyer for their own totally unrelated event. There is so little emphasis on people actually writing their thoughts that you have to click past all your "friends'" self promotion on your own myspace to read the blog. I can't find any communication at all.
I read an article in the guardian a while ago about myspace, (I can't find it anywhere) the gist of which was that for all its being heralded as the real democratization of the internet/music industry/socializing, a real life myspace would be like going to a bar with 20,000 songs playing at the same time and everyone walking around just talking about themselves in internet slang and emoticons with their fingers in their ears. Just to add some visual dissonance to the whole picture, this bar would also have garish lights, hideously clashing decor and be filled to the brim with fucking exclamation points. It really looks like shit doesn't it?
Putting the final nail in the coffin, (possibly mine because this all just proves how much closer to death I am getting) I saw a documentary on tv the other night where people were interviewed about how many friends they have. Everyone, young and old, said that they had 2-6 close friends and then any number of acquaintances but one hateful white women with bright pink dreadlocks answered that she had over 100 friends on her myspace with a hint of shame in her stupid smile. Rupert Murdoch can have them all.
Still, I've got Charlie Brooker on my crotchety side.
I read an article in the guardian a while ago about myspace, (I can't find it anywhere) the gist of which was that for all its being heralded as the real democratization of the internet/music industry/socializing, a real life myspace would be like going to a bar with 20,000 songs playing at the same time and everyone walking around just talking about themselves in internet slang and emoticons with their fingers in their ears. Just to add some visual dissonance to the whole picture, this bar would also have garish lights, hideously clashing decor and be filled to the brim with fucking exclamation points. It really looks like shit doesn't it?
Putting the final nail in the coffin, (possibly mine because this all just proves how much closer to death I am getting) I saw a documentary on tv the other night where people were interviewed about how many friends they have. Everyone, young and old, said that they had 2-6 close friends and then any number of acquaintances but one hateful white women with bright pink dreadlocks answered that she had over 100 friends on her myspace with a hint of shame in her stupid smile. Rupert Murdoch can have them all.
Still, I've got Charlie Brooker on my crotchety side.