MyFRENCHspace

The definition of MySpace taken from Wikipedia.

MySpace is a social networking website offering an interactive, user-submitted network of friends, personal profiles, blogs, groups, photos, music and videos. MySpace also features an internal search engine and an internal e-mail system. It is headquartered in Santa Monica, California, USA, while its parent company is headquartered in New York City. According to Alexa Internet, it is currently the world's fourth most popular English-language website, the sixth most popular website in any language, and the third most popular website in the United States, though it has topped the chart on various weeks (note it is possible that other websites have a greater number of unique visitors). The service has gradually gained more popularity than similar websites to achieve nearly 80 percent of visits to online social networking websites. It has become an increasingly influential part of contemporary popular culture, especially in English speaking countries. The company employs 300 staff, is owned by News Corporation, and does not disclose revenues or profits separately from News Corporation. With the 100 millionth account being created on August 9, 2006 and a news story claiming 106 million accounts on September 8, 2006, the site reportedly attracts new registrations at a rate of 230,000 per day.

Above: MySpace creator, Tom Anderson's profile page

With such a phenomenal fan base, the company which was started by Chris deWolfe and Tom Anderson, has done the typical and launched their versions of their site in UK, Australia and now France (as of 12/01/06). It was because of this launch of the french site that I began thinking of all the publicity etc that the site recieves and hense decided to blog about it. Firstly, I must say that I my self have a myspace page and still don't know why I was so attached to it. Possibly because it allows me to use the site to keep in almost constant communication with my friends despite location. However, I can't begin to describe how annoying it is to receive those stupid messages from people who think the site was established as a dating service. Messages like - "Hey sexy, I love your profile picture, you look like you fell from heaven, IM me and we'll chat... and maybe more ;)" - I mean seriously, those lines don't work in bars where there is alcohol to inhibit your perception of how absolutely dog-faced ugly these fools are and yet the lines continued to be used. And in the hopes of what? Getting some cyber sex?! What the hell is cyber sex any way? According to the first site that I came across when i googled "cyber sex", it came up with this:

Online computer users often engage in what is affectionately known as "cyber sex." Often the fantasies typed into keyboards and shared through Internet phone lines get pretty raunchy.

And just for your amusement, here is an extract of "cyber sex"... if you want to read the full (very wierd) dialogue, click here.

Wellhung:
Hello, Sweetheart. What do you look like?
Sweetheart:
I am wearing a red silk blouse, a miniskirt and high heels. I work out every day, I'm toned and perfect. My measurements are 36-24-36. What do you look like?
Wellhung:
I'm 6'3" and about 12 stone pounds. I wear glasses and I have on a pair of blue sweat pants I just bought from C & A. I'm also wearing a T-shirt with a few spots of barbecue sauce on it from dinner...it smells funny.
Sweetheart:
I want you. Would you like to screw me?
Wellhung:
OK
Sweetheart:
We're in my bedroom. There's soft music playing on the stereo and candles on my dresser and night table. I'm looking up into your eyes, smiling. My hand works its way down to your crotch and begins to fondle your huge, swelling bulge.
Wellhung:
I'm gulping, I'm beginning to sweat.
Sweetheart:
I'm pulling up your shirt and kissing your chest.
Wellhung:
Now I'm unbuttoning your blouse. My hands are trembling.
Sweetheart:
I'm moaning softly.

Why anyone would engage in "cyber sex" is beyond me. And yet that is not what this blog post is about so moving on...

However, how useful is myspace? The site has been constantly critisised for its ability to endanger children who have profiles on the site. The minimum age a "myspacer" can be is 14, however, it should be noted that 14 - 15 yr old profiles are automatically set to private so only "friends" can view their page. However, all a child has to do is lie about their age, and they can bypass this restriction.

In 2006, a 16yr old actually flew to the Middle East to be with a 20 year old man she had met on the site. The girl had tricked her parents into getting her a passport. However, I don't think this should be a critisism taken by MySpace. What the hell were her parents doing getting her a passport with out knowing full details of where she was going and what she was doing!?!? The site has also recieved critisism because many believe that children are posting up lewd pictures of themselves for the whole world to see. Once again... where the hell are the parents!? Why are they allowing their children to TAKE THE PICTURES IN THE FIRST PLACE?!

According to MSNBC.com, Myspace is attracting sexual predators. Here are some of the stories extracted from the article,

A month ago, police in Connecticut arrested a 21-year-old man, accusing him of raping a 14-year-old girl he found on MySpace. On Long Island, investigators say another man found the work address of a 16-year-old girl on one of the Web sites last fall, lured her to a parking lot, and sexually assaulted her.

However, before we blast MySpace, there are many evils in the world that will use well intentioned devises of communications to continue their depraved activities. This is no different. Although it is an awful thing to happen to a 14 yr old. You can not blame a website for its uses. Can you? It's like saying that you watched a movie that depicted a horrific murder. Thats the reason why you killed mom when you got home! It's just a flaky excuse, that proves your insanity at best.

A 20 year old friend of mine who lives in the states has a page but is afraid to post pictures of all his partying etc because he says that his uni goes through known myspace pages and reprimands the students if they are caught on film drinking alcohol (as it is illegal for all those minors under the age of 21 yrs in the US). Is it really fair to use a social networking site to catch people out!? And I'm assuming that the pictures were not taken live, but rather a few days or weeks prior and then posted. So can you really punish someone for something if they did it and already got away with it? In my view, not really fair.

Myspace is used by many conglomerates as a tool for spreading the word about their products etc more efficiently. Recently in the Fosters Cougar liqueur campaign, they established several myspace sites for its many character of their adverts, Barry Dawson and his karate buddies. According to Reuters, BBC is also planning on using sites such as Myspace.

The BBC plans to develop its online presence by providing social networking sites based on its most popular brands, such as Top Gear, a BBC representative said on Thursday.

The broadcaster is looking to tap into the popularity of such sites as MySpace, in which users contribute comments and video footage to share with other users.

To read more on this, click here.

So whilst I don't think sites like MySpace should be used by younger adolescents, simply because they can not be trusted to use the sites responsibily, I do think that having social networking sites like MySpace and Friendster are a good step in the evolution of all things communication. And this new set that MySpace have taken with opening a french site is a step in the right direction.