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Decided to make this blog post after reading someone else's venting post earlier.
I've said it before, I'm on the older side for this site. That's why I'm here. MySpace was part of my introduction to the internet. It felt much more inviting than IRC and you could form tight-knit communities while customizing your look to your heart's content. Peak Web 2.0 for a Millennial like me.
For me, SpaceHey does a great job at filling that void. I remember my young self pecking away at my keyboard tweaking my layout to be just perfect. I've long since ceased HTML projects, so I'm really going back to the basics with this. It's a fun side of the Internet I haven't enjoyed in a long time, and honestly really missed.
The friends I've made in my first couple weeks here have been a whole mix for me. Some are my age or older. They remember MySpace and feel so relatable to me. Some even bring out their younger side with emo/goth/cartoon profiles that I remember. I even saw a Lois Griffin profile that I swear looks just like a close MySpace friend had!
Other friends are younger Gen Z folks. People who this is their first taste of a true Web 2.0 customization experience. They've never enjoyed social like this, and are really making the best of it.
There are definitely troll accounts and toxic individuals on here, and I'll be honest that I really don't get Gen Z humor sometimes. It's still fun to see how they enjoy this site. I mean, MySpace had its own bad side too...
I really don't understand the level of complaints I see from some people honestly. Every site has those toxic people. There's a block button for a reason though. Instead of worrying about them, build your circle and enjoy yourself like it's still the 2000s!
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Ice
This is also my first social media experience with custom HTML/CSS, and I love it! I thought it was an awesome concept growing up, but people were already dropping it for more limited platforms like Twitter or Facebook, so I wasn't able to get into it.
It's fun visiting other people's profiles, admiring their creativity and unique style, and taking notes of things to try for your own profile. Profiles also become a representation of your personality and interests, not just a plain interface with two images and one paragraph. It's like, "Hey, this is me! All of this is me! Like something? Hit me up and let's chat about it!"
I think one of my only issues is that the lack of a feed with reposts hinders discoverability. You have to go out of your way to write about things to recommend them. However, this also makes the experience feel a lot more personal; it's less about the things someone interacts with, and more about *them*.
Anyway, I love your profile too! I have a sweet spot for older interfaces and scanlines. (And the dial-up sound. It makes no sense that I like it so much but I do. Why do we like the sound of old technology trying not to explode so much?)
You're not much younger than me, so I'd guess you remember the true tail end of customizable social media being relevent. I started in 2002, so I really remember the tail end of '90s style sticking around and the best of times in the customizable era. It's sad that this isn't a thing anymore, but like everything, money speaks...
Something was definitely lost in the transition from representing your true self online. You used to be able to surround yourself in what you like, instead of have an algorith toss enraging click-bait at you. I'd rather have to work to make those friends vs be surrounded with fake ones.
Thank you for the compliment! It's truly been fun tinkering wih HTML/CSS again, as it's been so absolutely long since I did that.
by Chiaki Oogaki; ; Report
sasha koshka
never used myspace but im loving this site due to its lack of social media algorithms. those things are incredibly dangerous and we're all safe from them here.
You know, I honestly didn't even think of it that way. Algorithms have definitely done their damage, so it is nice to be away from that for sure.
by Chiaki Oogaki; ; Report
THE ▌ᴀᴛҠӀИԌ▐ OF SPACEHEY
I never used MySpace. To me this site is just a customisation-based social site I hang out on, and I don't really associate it with anything else. It's not really about 'reliving' as it is just 'living'. And I kinda like it like that.
I can understand that in a sense. This is definitely a site of "now" to anyone younger than me, probably only comparable to Tumblr in customization abilities.
I'd imagine hearing views on SpaceHey from MySpace users is kind of how young me looked at people old enough to remember CompuServe and other '80s-'90s message boards. No frame of reference, just enjoying what's available in the now.
by Chiaki Oogaki; ; Report
CosyTea
I'm often surprised by the amount of gen Z people here. Despite the site being built as a replica of an older age of the internet to allow for a nostalgia trip, it feels like a distinct majority of users are gen Z who have never used sites like this to begin with (though maybe that's the appeal of it for them and I just answered my own question XD).
I've thought about it like that too. They've heard the stories of that era plenty of times most likely. I'd imagine getting to experience what its actually like has it's own enjoyment factor to it.
by Chiaki Oogaki; ; Report