Why Myspace Died
I recall back in the day, Myspace had the social media landscape on lock.
If you were on someone’s top friends list, then you knew you had made it.
I thought Myspace was going to be around forever.
But it flew too close to the sun.
It died quicker than it rose.
Sometimes, I wonder…
Why did it end so fast?
Then I remember:
- Myspace was the soil where the garden grew.
It was a pioneer in many ways.
I won’t disrespect Myspace.
It gave me a social life in the digital realm when I was too awkward in real life.
I need to be honest though.
They died.
My question is why…
Why Myspace Grew So Big
The reason Myspace grew so big was because it had a vision.
It was going to be a platform that connected humans.
A simple strategy.
Back in the day, we had AIM.
A lot of text-based communication with different folks.
But Myspace did something unique.
It turned text into face.
The faces allowed us to see who we were interacting with.
Humans communicate with the eyes.
When we see something, it becomes real.
Myspace was one of the first platforms that leveraged pictures to its advantage.
I had a Canon camera back in the day.
I would take pictures with the sole intention of seeing how they’d look on Myspace.
Myspace grew popular because it was a mix of being a pioneer and combining pictures in an elegant way.
What Took Myspace Through the Roof
It wasn’t just the pioneering aspect or the picture feature that made Myspace popular.
What made it really pop off was the top friends list.
When I chose that list, I was selective.
If I put someone on my list and they didn’t put me on theirs, I’d take them off.
I was petty like that.
People got competitive.
If they made someone’s list, they wanted to stay there!
They’d go the extra mile in real life to keep their spot.
The Myspace top friends list engaged the primal brain.
I believe that was one of the greatest things they did.
Most social media platforms have a friends list, a collective group of people you know.
But very few social media platforms required users to think critically and rank their friends in order.
Why Myspace Died
Myspace eventually died for two reasons:
- Confusion
The confusion came from a loss of identity.
- Were they a music site?
- Or were they a social networking site?
I believe Myspace could have been both.
But they should have led with one.
Instead of leading with one, they scattered.
The loss of identity made me lose interest.
On top of that, Facebook was entering the marketplace.
Before, Facebook was only for college kids.
In high school, I dreamed of getting a Facebook account.
Then Facebook opened up to high schoolers.
I joined and thought everything was so clean and crisp.
Yahoo was confusing; Google was crisp.
Myspace was confusing; Facebook was crisp.
I went with Google and Facebook.
Just like that, I stopped using Myspace.
And more and more others did the same.
They switched over to Facebook.
Lessons from the Death of Myspace
I learned a few things from the death of Myspace.
The most important lesson:
- Revisit the fundamentals.
It’s important to always repeat the fundamentals.
Start your days articulating the fundamentals out loud.
Find new ways to articulate the same fundamentals, over and over.
Otherwise, you’ll forget what made your brand great.
Slowly, others will enter your marketplace.
They’re revisiting the fundamentals every day.
Every team meeting they have keeps the fundamentals in mind.
They’ll win while you lose.
Another lesson:
- When something becomes big, others will poach your market.
It’s a losing strategy to hope you’ll be the only player in the marketplace.
You need to always keep reinventing yourself.
Stay true to your core message but add new elements.
Otherwise, you’ll die out.
A combination of revisiting the fundamentals and reinventing yourself is crucial.
Will Myspace Ever Make a Comeback?
I once told a friend:
- If Blockbuster came back and made a streaming platform, I’d heavily consider taking my business there.
Mainly because they’d leverage nostalgia.
Imagine a store that sold 90s merch, DVDs, VHS tapes, box TVs, etc.
I’d rent movies from Blockbuster too!
But nostalgia markets are seasonal.
They’re not a long-term business plan.
I believe Myspace lost their steam.
That’s the final lesson from Myspace:
- Capitalize on the momentum you’re given.
Who knows when that momentum will ever come back?
Capitalize on your moments.
I’m not sure Myspace can make a comeback.
A quick one, maybe.
Especially with all the controversies Facebook goes through.
But I don’t see anything grand for them.
Still, I’ll never forget Myspace.
They gave me a peek into what digital media would be like in 2009.
I loved their platform and all the memories they gave me.
For that reason, I’ll always respect Myspace.
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– ArmaniTalks 
