Bye bye, Myspace

My little experiment with Myspace - and Internet-based “social networking” generally - has come to an end. Although it has some positive aspects to it, I have come to the conclusion that as a surrogate for personal human communication, it is a dismal failure. I am not interested in going into the how’s and why’s, nor am I interested in taking a trip down memory lane. The novelty is gone and that really was its only saving grace. I have a two phone numbers, this blog (and others) and several email addresses. I can be contacted directly quite easily - the shotgun approach that is Myspace has worn quite thin.

There are aspects of my dislike with the cyber-social network that can hardly be blamed on the medium. Indeed, Myspace like all other forms of computer software is just a tool. It can be used and abused as the operator sees fit. In this respect, I am fully responsible for the time it consumed and the disconnection it fostered. It is not alive. It doesn’t care. It didn’t feel a thing when I unplugged myself from it. Yet I feel as though I have severed contact with my approximately 195 “friends.” Ok, so they were not all friends, but many were and most I at least know on a personal level one way or another. I would venture to guess, however, that although I will not have a daily connection via log in with most of them - my real friends still are friends, and that includes those I met through another cyber tool - the blog.

Speaking of blogging…

I am not done yet - not even close. In fact, I would say that - at nearly three years old - the 25 Year Plan (and its offspring, present and future) will be around for a long, long time. There are significant differences between blogging and social networking, although they can play similar roles. And it’s more than just the interface. The connection between a blogger and his or her commenter is personal. It’s not just about “Hey, how ya doin’,” but rather framed by the context created by the blogger. It might be about trivial personal salutations, but more often there is substance inspired by whatever the author wrote about. It could be societal, it could be political, it could be financial… or it could be about the evils of social networking.

Now that Myspace no longer commands a slice of my time, it might be that this space will get some more attention. Moreover, it is my sincere desire to start visiting the many blogs I have come to respect so much as well as some I have yet to discover. I am at a point where the trivial and the petty have no place in my life. And that includes Internet junk food like Myspace.