I know MySpace has been getting a lot of bad press lately, but we could all take a deep breath? MySpace is more than a place for young teens to post their weekend exploits and for sexual predators to find new victims. Unfortuantely, those types of activities will always happen whether it's on Instant Messaging, text messaging or a walk in the park.
In Charlotte, MySpace is a popular way to promote parties and events. Big Ryan, a popular local DJ hipped me to the site last year. It’s one of the main ways he promotes his parties. DJ Matt Bolick, of the Forum, used MySpace recently to pub his DJ Colette show at the Forum. Top Down Productions, which brought Boy George to Velocity, uses MySpace and so does local promoter Mike Kitchen of the Sol Kitchen.
Verizon has teamed with MySpace to help launch a single by on unsigned band on the Verizon’s VCast system.
We’re all worried about teen safety, but let’s not make MySpace, Facebook or any of the other social sites the scapegoats for teens' bad behavior.
What do you think? Is the news media going overboard with the MySpace hysteria? Post your replies below. Are you a promoter on MySpace? If so, please add me to your friends
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Is MySpace the devil?
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5 comments:
I've noticed that myspace has struck a bolt of lightning in just about every local news station in the country in the past few weeks. There are such statistics apoken about in previews like, "myspace is responsible for the raping and murders of 30 girls in the past year", to catch the viewer's eye. In my opinion, I don't see any problem in most of the behavior for people above the age of 18/out of high school on the site. However, the few that lie about their age and use the site for the wrong reasons (which is most prominent in the under 18 category) has ruined it for the rest of us. Granted it is a little extreme for anyone over the age of 40 to be on 'myspace', but it is in the certain person's control to chose to release certain information on any site.
Myspace just happens to be the most popular, somehow we've forgotten about others such as 'facethejury.com', blog sites like 'xanga' and 'livejournal', the college-only admittance site 'facebook' is along the same lines as well. But since there are nearly 60 million people on myspace, it opens up a much wider window for someone to reach through and grab an easy victim. Some kids going through growing pains use the blogs to vent, which publicly states themselves as 'vulnerable' making them a target. All they want is attention from their friends, but at a certain age, who's going to reject a helping hand on a simple instant messenger when you're feeling down? Perhaps someone else should come up w/ a major-million-dollar-making idea and write a book titled "Myspace for Dummies" explaining how to use it properly so it won't ruin the biggest fad since the AIM for the rest of us.
All in opinion.
I agree with you 100%. If parents are worried, just check their child's sight frequently. If my son doesn't give me the correct sign-on information, then no computer time! It's just common sense. You have to check on them for their on safety. He/She may see it as invading their privacy, but I say it's good parenting to know what your child is discussing with his/her friends!
Tonya,
First of all - you're a so-called adult. We're talking about teens where their social intelligence is still evolving. MySpace is not the problem, just an enabler for a copycat society that thinks everyone should party like Paris Hilton. That's not the life of a teen, or should be the life of a teen!
as a mom of a two teenagers who have a site on myspace - i try to monitor the content of their site and who they have as friends - it is also interesting to keep tabs on what is being said on their friends site. We have also made our teens set it so that anyone who has access has to ask permission - if we did not keep close tabs on them then they would not be allowed to be a part of it. My 14 year old son had a solicitation email sent to him from a prostitute in charlotte to check out her site. another thing that helps is that our teens youth leader did a series on myspace and they also have checked out all the youth groups websites - it makes the kids think twice about how they want to be remembered or how it affects their reputation when parent (and I know many who check monitor) and youth leaders are also checking to keep them honest.
I've seen a couple of users' web sites on MySpace, and they remind me of a story (a true one): A prominent science fiction writer named Theodore Sturgeon was once asked why 90% of science fiction was crap. His response was that this was so because 90% of EVERYTHING is crap.
MySpace takes this 90% to a whole new level... it's the Internet equivalent of tagging a bridge underpass, full of kidz talkin l337sp33k and teenage jailbait showing off WAY too much skin. Spend about 10 minutes cruising MySpace and you will cry at how illiterate people are in this country. And it's no wonder that predators and other criminals love MySpace so much... the place is CRAWLING with personal information. I have my own web site (and by "web site" I mean a well-designed site hosted professionally with its own domain name), and I don't post 5% of the personal info that people do on MySpace.
I'm not saying it's evil or anything... but it brings the Web down to the level of Jerry Springer, and that's a problem.
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