MySpace
addicts might soon cut cold turkey
Krystn Becker
When we get on the computer, we immediately check for fresh, new comments that
may have been left for us during the two seconds we stepped away from the computer
on our good old MySpace account. The MySpace addiction is not just a new fad,
but a global phenomenon gracing its 27 million members and thousands of new accounts
daily. Hours on end slip away as addicts log on to their profiles and check out
different links, chat with friends, blog, leave comments, post new pictures or
leave messages to the many hotties found on searches.
The word on the street brewing around the well-known Internet site MySpace.com
is that owners might start charging its members to keep their profiles. Nothing
has been set in stone at this time, but panic set in after News Corporation bought
out the remaining shares of Intermix, the parent company of MySpace.
I think it is entertaining to believe that 27 million people would actually pay
to be on MySpace. Even though most college students and other online members
spend more time logged on their profile than doing more productive things like
homework, not many, in my eyes, are going to be willing to pay for their accounts.
If this happens, MySpace addicts are going to be forced to quit their addiction
cold turkey and actually talk to and meet people in an unthinkable way — face-to-face.
Of the millions on the site, most are minors who definitely will not pay for
it. Also, many people have multiple accounts, so the idea of those profiles staying
alive if big business decides to charge is preposterous.
MySpace addicts would be ignorant however, to believe that a business like News
Corporation would drop $580 million unless they intend to charge something like
$10 a month to capitalize on its investment. It’s hard to believe the corporation
is not already making bank on the overwhelmingly annoying number of advertisements
that bless each visit to the site.
MySpace was launched in 2003 and spread like wildfire. It started as a music
community Web site by two entrepreneurs: Chris DeWolfe and Tom Anderson. Today,
MySpace.com has over 350,000 music profiles and is growing daily. But there is
more to do than listen to music. MySpace members enjoy playing games, chatting,
blogging, emailing, leaving classified ads, or receiving crude emails from a
grouse guy trying to pull a one-liner.
It is obvious with such a huge fan base that MySpace.com has been a huge success.
I have had different profiles to keep in touch with current friends and old ones
from high school. But if people have to pay to keep in touch it is going loose
half of it is customers. I know it will loose my business for sure.
So, will MySpace be able to keep their loyal, addicted members? Only time will
tell, but my take on things is that if they charge we will see a huge decline
in membership and members will start looking for the next free online social
community or have to face people in the real world.
However, it is only a matter of time till the next Tom makes a new online community,
so do not fret. People will be able to feed their online social addiction soon
enough.
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