Myspace could soon make a comeback after nearly two decades on the decline, as its owners seek a fresh start to compete with the current social media giants.
The owners of the once-popular social media platform, brothers Tim and Chris Vanderhook, announced plans to relaunch MySpace with a new vision.
The brothers said they want to create a platform that feels different from current social media platforms, which many users complain are too focused on algorithms and are designed to encourage endless scrolling.
The Vanderhooks said in a new documentary, “Myspace,” that they “built an entirely new Myspace,” but it did not work out.
“We really tried to modernize it, but it was a different company at that point. It wasn’t the same Myspace,” Tim explained in the documentary.
Chris added, “By that time, they had been through four other sets of management and CEOs. We were going to be the fifth ones, and I think that there were a lot of the people who were really just done.”
The two now plan to relaunch the platform at some point, but a target date has not yet been set.
“And if that one doesn’t work, we’ll do it again,” Tim said.
Tom Anderson, Myspace’s co-founder and everyone’s automatic first friend, sold the company in 2005 and is not expected to be involved in the Vanderhooks’ upcoming initiative.
MySpace first launched in 2003, becoming one of the biggest social networking websites in the world, known for customizable profiles, music features and a “Top Friends” list before Facebook eventually surpassed it as the top social media application.
Between 2005 and 2008, Myspace was considered the most popular social media website. MySpace and Facebook would both attract roughly 115 million visitors per month in 2008, but Facebook surpassed MySpace in global website traffic around that time and overtook Myspace in unique US visitors in 2009, taking control of Myspace’s most important demographic.
Facebook never looked back, as its growth in the next few years was too much for MySpace to overcome, capped off by a max exodus in 2010.
Myspace can still be accessed, but it is nowhere near what it once was. Tom Anderson is also still accessible, but he has not posted on the platform in 13 years.
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