Thursday, January 29, 2015

What Social Media Trend is Keeping Myspace Alive?

It’s no secret that Myspace is no longer the leading site in social networking. In fact, it’s likely the last site you would consider when naming social media platforms. But there is one online trend, however, that is helping keep the social networking site alive and, ironically, it’s one you post on other platforms- Throwback Thursday. Yes, Myspace users are logging in to find their weekly #TBTs.


Myspace analytics show that there is an increase in visitors to the site on Thursdays as users search their profiles looking for old photos from the mid-2000s. According to Tim Vanderhook, CEO of Viant, Inc., the parent company of Specific Media which owns Myspace, the site is bringing 50.6 million unique visitors each month. Not bad for a site that was launched 12 years ago and peaked in 2008.

“Myspace was an early photo-sharing platform,” said Vanderhook. “So we still see a lot of people coming back to access old photos. They may not visit every day but they come back once a week or once a month.”

Fortunately, Myspace is not completely reliant on the public’s need for Throwback Thursday Instagram posts. In 2012 it decided to rebrand itself, with the help of Justin Timberlake, as a platform for new music sharing and discovery. Now, the site mainly attracts the 17-25 year-old segment who is interested in the site’s music sharing and discovery function. In an effort to keep up with even developing trends and technology, they also released a free Myspace app. The app includes an ad-supported radio service similar to Pandora or Spotify as well as a GIF creator.


The wavering popularity of social networking sites comes with the territory of being an online medium. Although Myspace has likely seen their peak, it is clear they are making a strong effort to evolve along with social media trends, and benefiting from them.

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