Just this weekend I was thinking about an old series of posts here, from 2007, in which I mused about the aesthetics of MySpace. At the time I was trying to figure out why something so “ugly” was also so popular, in an era of supposed mass-good-taste in design/aesthetics. Since then of course MySpace has become much less popular. Are aesthetics part of the reason?
Well before I could hash out an answer, I saw this Observer story with a totally different take. MySpace aesthetics connote the “vintage Internet.” Now that’s a great concept, the vintage Internet.
MySpace GeoCities aesthetics connote the “vintage Internet.”
...15 years of aesthetic "awesomeness"
Interesting. I would have though Geocities was much older, but that Ars article seems to be saying they started in the same year.
...
Okay, after a bit of digging on Wikipedia it turns out Geocities started in 1995. Myspace didn't launch until 2002.
Make Any Webpage Look Like It Was Made By A 13 Year-Old In 1996.
http://wonder-tonic.com/geocitiesizer/
I have no solid statistics on this but have read that MySpace is still widely used relative to Facebook but there is sharp divide between the two services based on social class.
On October 27, 2010, Myspace introduced a beta version of a new site design on a limited scale, with plans to switch all interested users to the new site in late November. Chief executive Mike Jones said the site is no longer competing with Facebook as a general social networking site. Instead, Myspace would be music-oriented and would target younger people. Jones believed most younger users would continue to use the site after the redesign, though older users might not. The goal of the redesign is to increase the number of Myspace users and how long they spend there. On October 26, BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield said, "Most investors have written off MySpace now," and he was unsure whether the changes would help the company recover. However, these new changes are highly disliked by the myspace community.[38] the major complains i heard were "slow loading" and relentless "garish ads." it seemed that site sat there broken for a long time unattended.
|
- bill 2-27-2011 1:43 pm
MySpaceGeoCities aesthetics connote the “vintage Internet.”- jim 2-27-2011 4:05 pm [add a comment]
...15 years of aesthetic "awesomeness"
- bill 2-27-2011 4:15 pm [add a comment]
Interesting. I would have though Geocities was much older, but that Ars article seems to be saying they started in the same year.
...
Okay, after a bit of digging on Wikipedia it turns out Geocities started in 1995. Myspace didn't launch until 2002.
- jim 2-27-2011 6:49 pm [add a comment]
Make Any Webpage Look Like It Was Made By A 13 Year-Old In 1996.
http://wonder-tonic.com/geocitiesizer/
- Justin (guest) 2-28-2011 5:10 pm [add a comment]
I have no solid statistics on this but have read that MySpace is still widely used relative to Facebook but there is sharp divide between the two services based on social class.
- tom moody 3-15-2011 12:56 pm [add a comment]
the major complains i heard were "slow loading" and relentless "garish ads." it seemed that site sat there broken for a long time unattended.- bill 3-15-2011 1:42 pm [add a comment]