Myspace Myspace blog.

Monday, May 15, 2006

Myspace Myspace blog.

I know I won't be the first or the last to blog about myspace on myspace. Expressing awe of how this phenomenon is sweeping the www is not an original of mine, I realize.

My friend Jessica recently blogged: "Myspace really is so cool, just connecting people all over the world. I have this theory that Myspace is doing so well because we are ultimately very lonely people. A big fat lonely human race. We do everything alone... We live alone, we drive alone, we shop alone, we listen to our ipods alone... we are on our way to just completely isolating ourselves to where we hardly have any contact with other people ever... or at least, only when we have to. I believe that God made us for each other, that we as a people need people. This is why, I love Myspace... why people love myspace, why it's sweeping so quickly across society."

So God is using myspace? Who knew... (I wonder if He digs the ads for "True" when He logs off.)

But I am amazed at how the site is a). so embarrasingly much better than any of its counterparts, and b). has the ability to integrate so many phases of life. I actually thought I was jumping on the bandwagon a little late. But when I got on, I spent the better part of three nights searching for someone...anyone I knew. I only found two or three people. And believe me, I racked my brain to recall people from every sector of my life--all four states in which I have lived...all five jobs...all six churches...so on and so forth. I did hundreds of searches. And I struck out repeatedly. I even submitted many an invite--with no results. I couldn't find anyone to add as a friend. (Luckily Bucy joined like three or four weeks later.)

But the amazing thing is how short of a time it took to take off (speaking strictly among the people I have known in my life). I don't try to add every person I find, but all of a sudden I now have come across hundreds of people over the past year that I knew/know. Some of them I haven't heard from in two decades. Some of them I would never have dreamed would give in to something like myspace. Some of them I am quite sure don't remember me.

Myspace is the new email address--what with some people owning two, three, four different profiles. Not being on myspace is like still using a facsimile machine or something. You can get people to myspace you back in two minutes who wouldn't reply to your email in two years. Myspace has pretty much eliminated the need for the mass update email. Put your pics, thoughts, and now videos up and let the world come to view. Scary.

Myspace is seemingly as much a part of culture as cable TV right now. Comics don't even bother to include an explanation disclaimer when referring to the site in a joke now. Some bands have even completely forsaken the old fashioned "doubleyou doubleyou doubleyou dot band name dot com" in favor of simply a myspace page. I have heard entire segments devoted to the site on mainstream talk radio.

This is neither an indictment of, nor an endorsment for myspace. Believe me, (working at a family Christian talk radio station) I am well aware of all the dangers and all that. The fact of the matter is, how is it that much more potentially risky than other forms of media/entertainment/communication? There is good and evil in everything. And I don't doubt for a minute that God can use the technology to advance some sort of good.

Aaron N. James S. Joe B. Stacey G. All good people. I never intended for these people to slip entirely out of my life. What a thrill to find out that my best friend from Tremont, Illinois has four boys and a set of twins!!! What the heck... He found me somehow. And you can't log onto hotmail and run a search for specific people's email addresses, that's for sure.

Maybe it's not for everyone. But I have been astounded at some of the people who have signed up in recent months. It blows my mind. And if I ever really get that scared about that bad guys, I'll delete my account.