Monday, June 05, 2006
The MySpace effect!
We've been doing a project with "tech-savvy" 20-somethings and learning a lot about this age group's relationship with MySpace. Both Faith and I have MySpace profiles, even though we're a bit outside the target age group (previously 14-29, but growing beyond that by leaps and bounds everyday). We also recently posted an Insight Grlls MySpace page, and are regular visitors, primarily so we can learn about this group more by observing them in a natural habitat. What we've found is that MySpace is changing the way people relate to the world, and each other in some very interesting ways. I.e.:
The art of the self-portrait...MySpace has almost singlehandedly created permission and in fact demand for self-portraiture. Frustrated artists now have an outlet to experiment with photos...and affordable digital cameras, scanners, and Apple- with
iSight built into new macs facilitates the trend by making it easier and quicker to take and post portraits any fledgling artist or artist wanna-be can proud of. We think this creative self-expression is a positive contribution to our artistic liberation...and the need to be artistic IS a human truth that we all share. Thank you, MySpace!
Another interesting note...MySpace has become a factor in breakups. When I say factor, I mean another thing to take into consideration when "elegantly exiting" what was once a beautiful relationship. You've seen that cell phone commercial about taking your bf/gf out of your phone after a breakup? Well, MySpace comes with its own set of mandatory actions as well. Witness: the famed Top 8 on which you can put your most special and/or high profile friends. While in a relationship, your s.o. is typically moved into the #1 spot. When breaking up, the dilemma ensues: do you move him/her down the list, to spot #7 or 8, or drop them from your Top 8 altogether? Maybe you should drop them off your friends list entirely and pretend you never knew them in the first place? An interesting quagmire to be sure...but it brings up a great point about technology, one that we've been wrestling with ourselves: see, we believe that technology can be beneficial to society inasmuch as it helps to bring human beings closer together. When it causes you not to pick up the phone, not to visit a friend, not to break up by having a good old-fashioned conversation, that's when we think it's gone too far. We're not faulting MySpace for any trend away from personal relationships - to be sure, the responsibility for upholding human contact still rests with...humans, after all. But we think pointing out potential dangers in using technology in human relationships will help us to have conversations and be more considered about our intentions with others. After all, don't we all want to have richer, deeper, more honest dealings with people in our lives? Another (obvious) human truth, just pointed out by Insight 303.
Lastly, we want to credit MySpace for making all bands' music accessible. We are champions of new and local bands, and it inspires us to know that any band with basic recording equipment (thank you, Apple, for Garage Band) can have its music heard by as many people as they can connect with via the huge network (38 million and growing) of MySpace subscribers.
MySpace claims some pretty high-profile subscribers from Tom Waits to Tina Fey to Coldplay...and just knowing they might
encounter the hot new act, two-rockers-in-a-garage-on-your-street, gives us all cause for optimism and inspires us to chase our dreams! And dreaming, after all...you know what I'm going to say: it's a human truth.
Readers, we'd love to hear what YOU think about MySpace's affect on our culture...feel free to post away!
We've been doing a project with "tech-savvy" 20-somethings and learning a lot about this age group's relationship with MySpace. Both Faith and I have MySpace profiles, even though we're a bit outside the target age group (previously 14-29, but growing beyond that by leaps and bounds everyday). We also recently posted an Insight Grlls MySpace page, and are regular visitors, primarily so we can learn about this group more by observing them in a natural habitat. What we've found is that MySpace is changing the way people relate to the world, and each other in some very interesting ways. I.e.:
The art of the self-portrait...MySpace has almost singlehandedly created permission and in fact demand for self-portraiture. Frustrated artists now have an outlet to experiment with photos...and affordable digital cameras, scanners, and Apple- with
iSight built into new macs facilitates the trend by making it easier and quicker to take and post portraits any fledgling artist or artist wanna-be can proud of. We think this creative self-expression is a positive contribution to our artistic liberation...and the need to be artistic IS a human truth that we all share. Thank you, MySpace!
Another interesting note...MySpace has become a factor in breakups. When I say factor, I mean another thing to take into consideration when "elegantly exiting" what was once a beautiful relationship. You've seen that cell phone commercial about taking your bf/gf out of your phone after a breakup? Well, MySpace comes with its own set of mandatory actions as well. Witness: the famed Top 8 on which you can put your most special and/or high profile friends. While in a relationship, your s.o. is typically moved into the #1 spot. When breaking up, the dilemma ensues: do you move him/her down the list, to spot #7 or 8, or drop them from your Top 8 altogether? Maybe you should drop them off your friends list entirely and pretend you never knew them in the first place? An interesting quagmire to be sure...but it brings up a great point about technology, one that we've been wrestling with ourselves: see, we believe that technology can be beneficial to society inasmuch as it helps to bring human beings closer together. When it causes you not to pick up the phone, not to visit a friend, not to break up by having a good old-fashioned conversation, that's when we think it's gone too far. We're not faulting MySpace for any trend away from personal relationships - to be sure, the responsibility for upholding human contact still rests with...humans, after all. But we think pointing out potential dangers in using technology in human relationships will help us to have conversations and be more considered about our intentions with others. After all, don't we all want to have richer, deeper, more honest dealings with people in our lives? Another (obvious) human truth, just pointed out by Insight 303.
Lastly, we want to credit MySpace for making all bands' music accessible. We are champions of new and local bands, and it inspires us to know that any band with basic recording equipment (thank you, Apple, for Garage Band) can have its music heard by as many people as they can connect with via the huge network (38 million and growing) of MySpace subscribers.
MySpace claims some pretty high-profile subscribers from Tom Waits to Tina Fey to Coldplay...and just knowing they might
encounter the hot new act, two-rockers-in-a-garage-on-your-street, gives us all cause for optimism and inspires us to chase our dreams! And dreaming, after all...you know what I'm going to say: it's a human truth.
Readers, we'd love to hear what YOU think about MySpace's affect on our culture...feel free to post away!
Comments:
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Mica, you have to be at least 14 to use MySpace...that seems about his maturity level.
This subject of communication differences between men and women is always a hot one - we know- it's burned us more than once! My advice is listen to your instinct and if it's telling you there's something unspoken, be the one to bring it up! If the other person refuses to talk about it, cut 'em loose...life is too short, and we're too fabulous to play guessing games.
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This subject of communication differences between men and women is always a hot one - we know- it's burned us more than once! My advice is listen to your instinct and if it's telling you there's something unspoken, be the one to bring it up! If the other person refuses to talk about it, cut 'em loose...life is too short, and we're too fabulous to play guessing games.
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