If you’ve been keeping up with the news in the social media world, then you know that Myspace is on its way to making a full comeback—or at least that’s what the numbers are telling us. The company recently issued a press release stating that Myspace has seen a 340% increase in users since the new site rolled out.
The new Myspace is an attractive platform for individuals, musicians, websites like Checkmate.com, and much more. The new site is also becoming exceedingly popular among younger social media enthusiasts; teens especially. Check out the list below for the top three reasons why the new Myspace is attracting a younger demographic.
1. It’s New (To Them)
Many of us remember the old Myspace because prior to Facebook’s rise to the top, Myspace was our go-to site for social networking. Back then, it was almost unheard of for someone not to have a Myspace page, just as it is with Facebook nowadays. Those who are teenagers now were just kids when Myspace was at its initial peak, so they were too young to use the site, or any social media site for that matter. By the time they entered the social media game, Myspace had significantly declined in popularity, which inevitably meant that they went straight to Facebook.
As we know, teens are perpetually concerned with staying on top of the trends and being a part of whatever is “cool” at the moment. To them, Myspace is a completely new and exciting social network; not an old one that’s been redesigned and rebranded. When these factors are taken into account, it comes as no surprise that teens are heading to the new Myspace in droves.
2. Their Parents Aren’t On It
Facebook has become extremely popular among older demographics, so it’s not uncommon for teens to be “friends” with their parents, uncles and aunts, grandparents, etc. It’s also not uncommon for this to drive teens crazy, especially when their parents are continuously checking up on their profiles. It’s even worse when their parents start liking and commenting on their photos and status updates, because teens are desperate for privacy, even when they’re not posting anything inappropriate.
One of the most common reasons teens are leaving Facebook is to get away from their parents and reclaim their privacy online. What better place to do so than on the new Myspace? It’s highly unlikely that the new site has made its way to the older demographics, so teens can almost guarantee that their parents won’t be signing up on Myspace—at least not anytime soon.
3. It’s Backed By Justin Timberlake
No one can deny Justin Timberlake’s star status, and he’s especially popular among teens and young adults. So, when teens hear that the new Myspace is owned (and being promoted) by one of their favorite celebs, obviously they’re going to want to check it out. This just proves that the term “star power” is a real, because if a big-time celebrity is promoting a company, that company automatically becomes more legitimate in the eyes of the fans. It’s impossible to know how many teens signed up on the new Myspace solely because of Timberlake’s efforts, but were gonna go ahead and guess that the number is pretty high.
Do YOU think Myspace will make a full comeback? Let us know in the comments!
Andrew Hoffman is a blogger from Santa Fe, NM. He specializes in writing about new trends in social media.