The History Of Myspace

If you’ve been keeping up with the latest news about social media, then you’ve probably been noticing a lot of stories about the new Myspace. Yup, it’s true, Myspace is back and it truly is better than ever. The site has been rebranded as the go-to platform for social media enthusiasts, musicians, artists, designers, and even big companies. Some of the biggest brands out there are taking full advantage of the new Myspace including Adidas, Checkmate.com, and Taco Bell, which all fall into completely different industries. So, in the spirit of nostalgia, we decided to take a look back at the history of good old Myspace including its rise and fall, as well as its unforeseen comeback.

Myspace was founded back in 2003 by Chris DeWolfe and Tom Anderson. If you used the site in the past, then surely you remember Tom, who was the “first friend” of all new users, as well as the face of the company as a whole. His profile picture, which he still has, became somewhat of an icon in the realm of social networking. Anderson and DeWolfe founded Myspace with the intention of competing with Friendster, which was the most popular social networking site on the web at the time. The two entrepreneurs definitely achieved their goal, and Myspace experienced immediate success and rapid growth.

To say that 2006 represents Myspace’s glory days almost doesn’t do it justice. The site was so popular that it actually surpassed Google to become the most visited website in the United States, which is nothing short of incredible. During that time everyone-and we mean everyone-had a Myspace account. If you met someone that didn’t have an account, you automatically thought it was strange.

People turned to Myspace for just about everything including communication with friends and family, making new friends, seeking out potential dates, and looking up information on their favorite celebrities, musicians, and companies. It was safe to say that Myspace was the end all be all of the social media world, and no one ever thought that would change. But things did change-big time.

You’ve probably heard that old cliche saying, “Nothing great lasts forever.” Well, that’s pretty much exactly what happened with Myspace. The site, which had been so ridiculously successful, started to decline in 2009 after the company was acquired by Rupert Murdoch’s mass media conglomerate, News Corporation. There are many theories as to why people started leaving Myspace, but the most probable are a) the site was outdated and users were becoming more and more sketchy, and b) people moved on to greener pastures. By greener pastures, of course we mean Facebook, which was on its way to becoming the social media behemoth it is today. Either way, the evidence was clear; Myspace was no longer ruler of the social media kingdom.

Since 2009, Facebook has absolutely dominated the world of social networking, and most social media users haven’t even thought twice about Myspace. In fact, a lot of people didn’t even know the site was still up and running. Turns out Myspace was there the whole time, and big things started happening behind the scenes back in 2011 when the company was bought by A-list celeb Justin Timberlake.

With a price tag of $35 million, Timberlake purchased Myspace as part of a joint venture with Specific Media LLC, and together they vowed to bring the site back. For a while, this acquisition remained hush hush, and no one knew that a Myspace comeback was in the works, or that Timberlake had anything to do with it.

Fast forward a couple years to 2013, and the unthinkable Myspace comeback is in full effect, which has even the most open-minded people wondering how the heck they did it. Well, if you visit the new site, it’s pretty clear how they did it. Their strategy was simple: rebuild Myspace from the ground up, change everything, and create a completely new social media experience. The only thing we can say is bravo because the new Myspace is just. . .awesome.

Have YOU checked out the new Myspace? If so, what’s your favorite feature? Let us know in the comments!