What I learned from MySpace
I look back at the rise and fall of MySpace with a nostalgic remembrance of the hours I spent perfecting my page, browsing friends’ photos and ogling over layouts. Without competition, MySpace stood alone as THE social networking site.
One component of MySpace that I always found interesting was the constantly manipulated Top 8. Tom Anderson, MySpace legend and total creep, automatically was a member of the Top 8 at the birth of an account. But within only hours, friends were added and the grueling task of Top Friending began. Some people had reserved spaces—veterans of the Top 8. Others were mobile; moving from space to space as the tides of friendships lapsed. Boyfriends and girlfriends were THEtop friend until a breakup. Then they were removed, thrown out in rejection like sour milk. Top 8’s soon expanded to the user’s desired size, depending—of course—on the number of friends worthy of being labeled “Top.” 4, 8, 16, 32, or even 1. All of this taught me something about friendships—volatility. Someone who may have made the top friend cut one day was swiftly cut down to a mere commoner MySpace friend. MySpace only highlighted our indecisiveness. MySpace revealed our superficiality.
MySpace has recently transformed itself in order to survive in the chaotic social networking limelight. Facebook dominates, Twitter is gaining speed, and Google+ has been born. Desperate, MySpace has created a series of confusing additions to keep members engaged. But they’re not. In this, MySpace represents the societal fixation on the new, the fresh, the undiscovered. It does not matter what MySpace does; they will never again be the fresh-faced network that people crave. MySpace’s only flaw was its age. Newer sites have consumed MySpace, and it has lost any chance of a rebirth. This tendency is a reminder to be cautious with the growth of new ideas. New is the catalyst for the demise of old.
A Manual
Risk.
Place yourself on the fringes of embarrassment,
The threshold of heartbreak,
The cliff of rejection.
Risk is the nourishment of life—cultivate it.
Recognize that a failed test doesn’t mean you’re a failure,
And a rejected application doesn’t mean you’re a rejection.
Devoid of risk, you are the possibility of fulfillment,
The shell of a being,
You dressed up as yourself for Halloween.
Learn.
How long did “ignorance” exist before it was named?
Accept alternate viewpoints,
And understand that you have yet to memorize Wikipedia.
Do not comply with your intelligence;
Imbibe every source you can
From books, conversations, memories.
Keep a journal, write often.
Fill it with your dreams and fears
And visit it when your “friends” have abandoned you.
Connect.
Friends enter and leave,
They skillfully play their parts, and then exit on cue.
Family is your connection:
The links binding your past to present and present to future.
Mimic the actions of the sister you lusted to become—
Her collected confidence and carefree vivacity.
When she’s gone, you are still not immune to unfamiliarity,
You have yet to develop antibodies for loneliness.
This virus’ only cures are late-night phone calls and care packages.
Converse with people over the age of 60,
And under the age of 6.
Sit with your grandparents at night and just listen.
They will recount their youth
As cigarette smoke leaks from their mouths and coffee lapses against their lips.
Visit elementary students.
Understand the simplicity of their thoughts,
And why 2x7 cannot possibly equal 14.
Fail.
Accept certain inevitable truths…
You will be cheated,
You will be abandoned,
You will be alone,
And you will lose.
These times are merely a stain on your life,
Bleach it.
Go.
Act now.
You should never be lying in bed at 3AM saying
“I wish I had…”
The danger of possibility looms,
Being idle tempts the voracious beast of Chance.
Your hourglass is fleeting,
With each grain of sand, you lose a chance for a memory.
Release.
The only way to discover it all is to throw it all away.
Release tension, quell hate, blot out scarring memories.
Realize that not everybody needs to remain in your life,.
Their criticism is only written in disappearing ink.
And above all else, you must forgive everybody,
Including yourself.
I’m back…
All of my motivation and inspiration arrives at nighttime. It is currently 1:46am and whilst every sane person I know is asleep, I want to do something. Anything. Summer has the ability to hijack my imagination; suddenly, I feel compelled to write, draw, do yoga, clean, cook, dance, hike, play with my dog, play with anything, do anything. Above all else, I want to cleanse. I am literally begging to cleanse. My body, my room, my social life, my mind, my schedule. And amid all of my summertime achieve-everything hype, I feel compelled to resume my neglected blog. So here I am, Tumblr.
I have always been ultra-organized. There is something so pressing about putting ideas to paper that prompts me to want to achieve them. I am obsessed with crossing things off lists. Recently, I began keeping notes in my planner (this) of my summer activities and appointments. Yet, as time as beaten on, I have began compiling extensive lists outlining desired media, beauty products, clothing articles, an ambitious to-do list and recipe ideas. Searching for an outlet for some of this, I was led back to one thing: my neglected blog.
So here I am, at 1:59am eating Greek yogurt and wanting to write something for this blog. It began as an inspiration blog (hence the title), yet now I want to make it more personal. The goal of creating a Tumblr has always been to help me stay organized. So, I want to extend my planner to an online medium. Enter: abandoned blog.
I’m not sure how this concept will progress as summer continues. It is the middle of the night, and I am operating on a mere five hours of sleep from last night. But, as stated earlier, writing down ideas encourages me to cross them off.
Resume blogging.
