I said I was going to comment about
MySpace. I was not lying. As I said before, MySpace is a so-called "social networking" site. Currently, it has 86,000,000 users (which is an incredible number), and 220,000 new members sign up (it's free) every day. The basic premise of MySpace begins with the "profile" page. Each member has a profile, this can include pictures and personal information but doesn't have to. For an example of a profile page, click to look at
mine or
Sarah's.
You'll notice that the profile pages have a place for "friends". These are people known by the user who also have MySpace accounts. In this way, all 86,000,000 members are connected. I am friends with Sarah, Sarah is friends with X, X is friends with Y, and so on and so on. This is the "social networking" aspect at its best. In addition allowing users to find friends via mutual acquaintances, MySpace provides users with a search page that allows them to look for specific people (e.g., John Smith) or for classmates or co-workers.
I have only used the site for a short while but easily have been able to talk to old friends who I would have otherwise never seen or talked with again in my life. MySpace is also extensively used by aspiring bands and entertainers as a way of gaining recognition and buzz. It makes sense: X says to Y, "Hey have you heard of this band"; Y likes the band and sends a message to Z, and so on and so on.
Unfortunately, just as with any medium (e.g., the internet, television, etc.), MySpace can be misused as well. And the bad is readily available. First, the site is not discretionary about its advertisers. The ads are tailored to specific users (certain people get certain ads), and the advertisers aren't moral about their content. For instance, even though my profile lists that I am married, I am given inappropriate ads (i.e., containing pictures of scantily clad women) for dating services and clubs (because I'm a male).
Second, because of the nature of the search page (users are given copius option for searching; one can browse, for instance, by gender, height, weight, build, sexual orientation, etc.) the site can be easily be used to troll for titillating encounters, and, in this way, MySpace can be very oriented toward misused sexual desire.
Finally, MySpace is dangerous for children/teens. While children under 13 are not allowed to use the site, and 14-year-olds are given special protections, it is 1) simple to lie about one's age, and 2) still dangerous for the children/teens who do use it: because of the search feature, these teens could potentially 'mingle' (users can chat, email, and see pictures and video of each other) with adults of any age. Would a parent allow a teen girl to hang out at a social club with hundreds of leering 40-year-old men? Absolutely not. However, many parents wouldn't think twice about letting that same girl use MySpace (which CAN be, essentially, a social club patronized by 40-year-old men).
In short, I don't believe children/teens should use MySpace without DIRECT supervision. It also should not be used by those with a propensity toward the above-described trolling. For any user, personal information should be limited. Photo content should be limited. Discretion should be employed.
On the other hand, the site can be used as a wonderful tool for keeping in touch with distant friends and family (provided that one avoids the bad ads and does not seek to make NEW social contacts, and instead seeks to maintain current/former ones--you never know what kind of crazy might be pretending to be "Jessie from Austin" or whatever).
