Myspace is Not "My Space"

       Myspace ,created by Tom Anderson, is a social network which was created back in 2003. During  its early years, Myspace gained most of its popularity. I had my first experience with Myspace when I was in the ninth grade. Most of my friends had one and loved it, so I figured I would give it a try. The first time I logged onto my Myspace account I thought it was an awesome website.  It had many features. Never had I been able to customize my profile to look the way I wanted it to. I had my very own space, and I was extremely excited- that is until I realized what Myspace was really all about. I soon began to dislike Myspace and here are my reasons.

1. Myspace is not only your space, but its also everyone else's.
             -  When creating a Myspace profile, you have the choice of making it public or private. When choosing to make it public, everyone is able to view your profile. If you choose to have your profile private, Myspace can be set up to where only your friends can see your profile. For the most part, I don't consider myself a private person, but I think that there is a limit as to who should be involved in my personal life. I feel that I should have a say so in whom my information is available to.

2. Myspace is more of a dating site, rather than a social network.
            -  When I became a member of Myspace, I thought it was a wonderful way to socialize with family and friends. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Several weeks into my experience with Myspace, I began to receive annoying messages from people I did not know. Many of them constantly asked me questions about getting together, or meeting each other. They also made suggestions about exchanging numbers to get to know each other on a personal level. This made me feel extremely uncomfortable. I joined Myspace as a way to socialize, not to find love. I never could understand why this was happening because my profile clearly stated I was in a relationship. Some people will never completely understand that Myspace is simply not for hooking up.

3. Myspace lacks a sense of security. 
               - Basically, Myspace allows anyone to become a member. Members range from 13 years of age and above. Many of these people are not who they appear to be. Older men or women may impose as a teenager who is looking for a friend. The teenagers may be naive and give out personal information, leading to their whereabouts. This reminds me of a time where I was in a similar situation. I was having a conversation with a guy on Myspace who claimed to have been new to the community. He told me how he had no friends, and he felt alone and needed someone to talk to. With me, being the kind-hearted person that I am, I assured him that we could become friends. Little did I know that this person was sending the same messages to the people I went to school with. In the end, it came out that this boy I thought was my friend turned out to be a grown man who was known as a pedophile. Myspace should provide more detailed information before allowing someone to join its website.