MY SPACE OR YOURS?

Everyone knows something about myspace. It's one of those sites and trends that you’re either excited to be part of or embarrassed to admit that you aren't. I've had men ask me if I ‘myspace’. When did it become a verb? It's quickly becoming the gray area between the, "Want to go out sometime," and the "I'm too shy to ask," pick up lines and tactics. Some of these guys seem to think that if a girl ‘myspaces’ they can skip conversation (read relationships) and cut straight to the chase. That’s the first reason I won’t open an account.

I started browsing the site recently and got caught up for hours. Some of the trends are pretty shallow and cliché. The most obvious is the user photo. When creating a myspace account you’re given the opportunity to post a user photo that’s seen by anyone who may come across your page. I saw three types, 1) Drunk women holding cocktails - usually the one in the middle is the one whose profile you’re viewing, 2) Couples’ photos - followed by a purging of emotion on the webpage, or 3) Limitless Napoleon Dynamite sites – why so many? The possibilities are endless but the imagination gets cut short. Another reason I can’t open an account.

Myspace.com is like a resume for friends, which brings up the dilemma associated with any resume – how can you make yourself stand out on one page? How can I make myself seem funny - but not completely hilarious and incapable of taking things seriously, choose music that’s cool – but not Dave Matthews because EVERYONE likes him, and select a picture! I can't begin to narrow my life down to just one picture (well, I could post a picture of my dog, or maybe all my girls at that club we hit up last week, or better yet, a photo of me and my boyfriend, so everyone knows we ARE exclusive . . .) and it goes on and on.

Myspace is the networking technology for my generation; I guess that’s why I can't bring myself to become a part of it. If I had the money and the time I'd buy an antique typewriter and snail mail letters to all of my friends. Getting a handwritten card or letter, or a phone message from another time zone, will always be so far above and beyond a size 12 Times New Roman snippet with a LOL dragging up the rear. In the meantime I’ll just keep browsing around myspace.com.

This post was written by my friend Stefanie (that's her in the picture). Send a comment and let her know what you think about myspace.com.