The Media Theory of Scene Kids

MySpace: The Original Frontier

History

MySpace was created in 2003 (1 year after scene became a distinct identity) with its peak years being from 2005 to 2008
Quickly grew larger than other social media platforms at the time, like Friendster and LiveJournal, becoming the most visited social networking site in the world
Surpassed Google as the most visited website in the US by 2006
Allowed for users to curate their own page to reflect their interests
Strong emphasis on music for many
Fostered communication, emphasized “friends”

Social Media Like Never Before

Prior to MySpace, LiveJournal and Friendster were some of the most visited social media sites
LiveJournal. Essentially a digital diary where one could add friends. Text-focused, not image-focused.
Friendster. Emphasis on maintaining or meeting friends, and much more similar to MySpace than LiveJournal. Yet it was more heavily controlled and curated by site owners/moderators.
MySpace offered everything a teen and Scene Kid could want. One could make new friends and share information while having free rein on a new, image-based, and extremely customizable site.

“In an environment where creative freedom is everything, [Friendster] dared to dictate, evicting users who put up photos of their dogs instead of themselves, or who attempted to use the platform to launch their garage bands. MySpace, in stark contrast, let chaos reign, encouraging users to do pretty much as they pleased.” - Marketing Mag, 2008

"Myspace was a big part of what launched our band. It allowed people to find out about bands and keep them in their back pockets for a while. It was everybody's best kept secret. It was taste-making but the gatekeepers weren't doing it." - Alex Gaskarth, lead singer of All Time Low

Media Theory: Second Life

Scene Kids used MySpace similarly to how one uses sites like Second Life.
Both offer the ability to design an online character or persona, which can be as realistic or imagined as one would like.
Both allow users/players to have complete creative direction on very visual platforms, with user-generated content like HTML layouts and custom content.
The ability to build genuine relationships is a motivation for joining both platforms.
Both are prime examples of online escapism and its appeal.

“I had a hard time meeting people I could relate to in real life, but with Myspace I was able to meet all of these people that I could relate to, and who were into the same things I was. It was a whole new world for me.” - Hanna Beth Merjos (Former MySpace Scene Queen)

"Social networking has always been used for good and bad. We’ve always tried to be careful, to acknowledge both extremes. I think some people wondered if we were trying to create this online utopia, where we could all huddle together and be OK." - Jamie Tworkowski

Becoming our Digital Identities

MySpace was, in a way, one of the first examples of people using social media to form online digital identities
These digital identities became intertwined with one's own personal identity
This can be seen in the extent to which one customized their MySpace page, with the inclusion of beloved images, the sharing of one's favorite music, and the highlighting of their Top 8 Friends.
Another phenomenon is the watermarking of images with one's MySpace URL. This could be through digitally editing the URL on the selfie, or writing it one's own body. This directly associated one's face and identity with their MySpace page.

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