Popularity Explained: MySpace and the Crumbling Interpersonal Barrier

A cursory glance around the local mall, school, or university will show that MySpace has become more than just a craze; it's an obsession. T-shirts tout such phrases as, "You looked better on MySpace, " "MySpace ruined my life," and "I think I recognize you from MySpace." Students making new friends now exchange MySpace URLs rather than phone numbers or email addresses, and a day around those between the ages of 13 and 30 almost always has a mention, even if just in passing, of the overwhelmingly popular site. The map of who knows who is clearly laid out for all to see, and the Berlin Wall of social boundaries is crumbling down.

There's a reason that MySpace, in the span of a couple of years, has eclipsed all of the other internet sites devoted to social networking. Despite countless other available sites, such as FaceBook (for the kids in school), Friendster (which has declined rapidly in usage and popularity since the rise of MySpace), Google's Orkut (still popular outside of the US, especially in South America and parts of Europe), and the more dating-oriented Lavalife (a profile-based system) and OkCupid (based largely on quiz results), more and more people are switching to MySpace and, perhaps more importantly, sticking around. So why the change?