The Rhetoric of MySpace

We have each been given a space. A space to call our own and decorate as we please. We can choose to post pictures from our childhoods, broadcast music by our favorite bands, show videos of our lives, express our general interests, adopt online pets, recall our favorite memories or even flat-out lie about who we are. The possibilities for our space are endless because this space is ours and this space means that we belong.

Everyone has an inherent desire to belong. MySpace is “a place for friends,” as it states so clearly in its trademark blue banner. And who cannot identify with being a friend? If there is one place in the Other that we have all identified with throughout most of our lives it is the place of a friend. Therefore, MySpace is a place where everyone can belong.

The MySpace social network was founded in July 2003 by Tom Anderson, an English and rhetoric major from UC Berkley with a Master’s degree in film studies from UCLA. The site was partially owned by a company called Intermix Media, which was bought in July 2005 for $580 million by the parent company of Fox Broadcasting. Since its inception three years ago, the MySpace community has grown to include over 80 million users.

A basic MySpace profile consists or two standard blurbs – “About Me” and “Who I’d Like to Meet.” Profiles also contain a place to describe general interests, music, television, books, movies and other personal details, such as marital status, physical appearance, occupation, age, schools and income. Profiles contain a weblog and a place to upload photos and videos. While all MySpace profiles contain the same basic information, the possibilities are endless when it comes to customizing a page. Websites have popped up all over the Internet that provide free HTML codes to personalize MySpace profiles with background images, colors, extra photographs, music videos, etc.