Should MySpace Be Put Out to Pasture?

For years I have heard many people talk about how MySpace has been losing popularity and that it will soon be gone. As of today, these predictions have yet to come true.

I can’t help but remember when everyone I knew was talking about this great new site called MySpace. I remember feeling like maybe I was missing the boat because I hadn’t bought into the hype of creating my account, customizing the page and reconnecting with all of my friends. Don’t get me wrong, I think the social networking phenomenon is a great concept and is obviously widely popular. Many starting bands have had great success using this medium to get their music out there for the world to hear and we are able to communicate with friends and family all over the world for free. With that said, I don’t really regret not buying in to this concept, I just regret not coming up with the idea first. Let’s face it, the idea of exploit my members at every turn in order to make myself more money is just genius.

So why is it that MySpace is not as popular as it once was? Where did they go wrong and can they come back from their downward spiral? Well, to be honest, I’m not really sure and personally don’t even care.

The idea of putting my personal life out there for the world to see, doesn’t appeal to me. Most people will agree that they like their privacy and are often offended when it is violated. However, these same people will put all of their information, pictures and videos out there for the world to see. I haven’t even begun to mentioned the spam and phishing attacks that have plagued these sites since their creation that so many people are fooled by daily. Does anyone see a problem here? What better playground for social engineering and identity theft can you ask for? It’s like a one stop shop for all your criminal needs.

So what are your thoughts on the future of MySpace and/or social networking?