Week 6B

The article, "Identity Production in a Networked Culture: Why Youth Heart MySpace," is somewhat dated when reading it in today's world.  Facebook has long since taken over the MySpace hype, and few are still visiting the site on a regular basis.  In fact, a few months ago, I wondered if the site was still in fact operating.  The article touches on the release of the website, potential hazards and threats, and criticism.  The site was apparently started by a bunch of 20-somethings interested in Indie music in Los Angeles.  The site exploded with over 50 million accounts created.  Skeptics thought that the site would explode and then burn out, much like Friendster.  The skeptics were wrong at the time, but later proven correct with the outbreak of Facebook and Twitter.   Teens loved the site because they could socially interact with others their own age.  Thus teens kept the site going unlike Friendster which was invaded by a group of 20-somethings.  A few words to take to heart: the age limit was lowered from 18 to 16 and then from 16 to 14.  I believe this was an attempt to gain even more users.  However, the threat was increased as younger and younger users gained access to the site, and they could become friends with people they didn't even know.  Suddenly, parents were worried about their children and their interactions with other strange men.  The threat of online predators became real and parents were also worried about the amount of time that their childrent were spending on this particular site.  Teens like to be in a controlled environment and this site gave them this ability.  Before long, adolescent users began ingnoring their parents and continuously monitored their profile and the site whenever and wherever possible.