Whatever Happened to Myspace?

Though many of you may not remember, Facebook was actually not the first social media icon to come onto the scene. Before Facebook, twitter, Instagram, or any other social media website was up and running, Myspace was the king of the castle. And though you may think back to those dark times and wonder how it was ever such a powerhouse, there is no denying the tremendous popularity this network once had. Despite its former popularity, Facebook all but overtook the market, leaving no room for any competition. You may be wondering though; whatever happened to Myspace? To answer this, let’s take a magical journey through history!

Early Social Media

When Myspace started in 2002, people were still grasping the idea of having their own presence online. As the name suggests, Myspace was developed to offer virtually anyone their own personal space online. Prior to this, the average person could not really figure out how to get anything online, especially not putting themselves in the limelight. With this new approach to networking, people were more than excited to get started. By 2005, the website was really booming, and it was at the top of its game.

Facebook Arrives on the Scene

When Facebook first began, no one would have expected it would one day completely overthrow Myspace. In fact, Mark Zuckerberg actually held talks with Chris DeWolfe (one of Myspace’s founders) but DeWolfe refused to pay the $75 million asking price Zuckerberg wanted. In hindsight, Zuckerberg must be extremely grateful for this. Later that same year though, Myspace was purchased by New Corporation, who helped it continue its growth until around 2008.

The Fall of Myspace

At the end of 2007, the network was still sitting pretty but in April of 2008, Facebook actually overtook Myspace in traffic rankings, which marked the beginning of the end for this once great company. Over the next few years, it began to tailspin and after being valued at $12 billion in its peak was sold for only $35 million to Specific Media and Justin Timberlake in 2011. Despite the celebrity ownership and the refocus on music for the website, its relaunch in 2013 still didn’t garner much attention, leaving it to disappear into oblivion.

Myspace Today

Now for the moment you have been waiting for… What has actually happened to Myspace? Well, you may be surprised to hear that it still exists! That’s right — a live link to Myspace. But, it probably doesn’t look anything like you remember it. In fact, the redesign in 2013 changed most of the key aspects of this website and today it has less in common with social media sites like Facebook and more features that remind you of some sort of strange bastard community.

Oh, and its still making Specific Media money.

 


 Did you ever have a Myspace account? If so, do you ever actually go on and still use it today? 


 Additional Image: Photopin

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Joseph Macolino
Joseph Macolino
When Joseph is not writing for his Evorath fantasy series, he tries to spend time honing his physical prowess to one day become the Punisher. Most of the time, he just ends up perfecting the art of procrastination by watching Netflix, reading other good fantasy books, or playing some mindless game. Follow him at Evorath