infinite scroll cover image

infinite scroll

Farewell Tom: The Rise & Fall of Myspace

Apr 4, 2024
30:48

In this week's episode, I explore the rise and fall of Myspace— the first site that put social networking on the map at a global scale. I look at Myspace's origins, why the site became so popular, and its cultural impact, including some of the most prolific artists and influencers to come out of the platform. I also go into how and why Myspace ultimately failed, and the legacy it left behind for Millennials online. RaWrrrrrr <3

Find our podcast YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC18HclY7Tt5-1e3Z-MEP7Jg 

Subscribe to our weekly Substack: https://centennialworld.substack.com/ 

Join our Geneva home: https://links.geneva.com/invite/7eb23525-9259-4d59-95e3-b9edd35861a5 

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/infinitescrollpodcast/ 

Follow our publication: https://www.instagram.com/centennialworld/ 

Follow Lauren on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenmeisner_/ 

Timestamps:

5:34 The idea of Myspace

7:58 Myspace launches

8:42 Why Myspace was so successful

15:07 Cultural impact of Myspace - music discovery, influencers, aesthetics & coding legacy

21:45 News Corp buys Myspace

23:29 The downfall of Myspace

Resources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myspace2

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_DeWolfe

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Anderson 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb1gWuzczSQ&ab_channel=MagnatesMedia

Kate M. Miltner & Ysabel Gerrard (2022) “Tom had us all doing front-end web development”: a nostalgic (re)imagining of Myspace, Internet Histories, 6:1-2, 48-67, 

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/24701475.2021.1985836 

Angwin, Julia. Stealing Myspace: The Battle to Control the Most Popular Website in America. Random House, 2009. 

Irina Shklovski & danah boyd “Music as Cultural Glue: Supporting Bands and Fans on MySpace.” https://www.danah.org/papers/BandsAndFans.pdf

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/01/the-rise-and-fall-of-myspace/69444/  

https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/18/business/news-corp-to-acquire-owner-of-myspacecom.html 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4695495.stm 

https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/rem-previewing-album-on-myspace-66407/   

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/06/as-myspace-sells-for-35-million-a-history-of-the-networks-valuation/241224/ 

https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna19329332 

https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna42475503 

https://centennialworld.com/gen-z-return-of-the-scene-queen/  

https://money.cnn.com/2014/10/29/technology/wsjd-murdoch-myspace/index.html 

https://www.codecademy.com/resources/blog/myspace-and-the-coding-legacy/ 

https://techcrunch.com/2008/06/12/facebook-no-longer-the-second-largest-social-network/ 

https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN05173148/ 

https://www.businessinsider.com/2009/1/myspace-passed-on-buying-facebook-for-75-million 

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jun-17-fi-ct-myspace17-story.html 

https://www.forbes.com/2007/02/26/myspace-speed-facebook-tech-intel-cx_df_0227myspace.html?sh=2131442d344d 

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/jun/30/myspace-sold-35-million-news 

https://www.businessinsider.com/former-myspace-ceo-explains-why-facebook-was-able-to-dominate-social-media-despite-coming-second-2015-5  

 

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
App store bannerPlay store banner

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode