There is no denying that MySpace is a fantastic marketing tool. We have all heard the rags to riches stories of Arctic Monkeys or Sandi Thom who got launched to stardom via a growing network of Internet friends. Although there is now a debate on whether Sandi Thom is a self-made internet superstar or simply the next in a long tradition of rock'n'roll swindles. MySpace allows you to track trends, test and promote products at a click of your mouse. MySpace is a money making machine which belongs to Fox and, as its owner the media mogul Rupert Murdoch put it, it is "a place for datamining and research". Q magazine made an interesting experiment by inventing a spoof indie band "with no talent whatsoever". In 4 weeks, the band had a devoted fanbase, to the extent that they got offered a gig by the guy who discovered Oasis and The Libertines. MySpace is indeed one of the most effective ways to build hype, whether the act is actually good or disastrous! As the case of Paris Hilton demonstrates, you don't even need music to be a pop star, just the right publicity! So yes, MySpace is just another tool to manipulate the music listening public. On the other hand, the fact is that even talented groups often need some way to grab an audience's initial interest. And eventually, artists built up only by hype will disappear. Do you still hear of Vanilla Ice, once pushed up as the first great white rapper? Guess he wasn't! MySpace is still a wonderful way for unsigned small bands to expose their music and hopefully talent to an audience of millions. They can actually promote themselves to the mainstream without having to "sell out". Use your common sense and don't always believe the hype, on MySpace or in the real world. It is sometimes useful to remember that all the data you put on your page can be used for market research. Basically, all they care about is the demographic you fall into and what trends they can find by comparing the millions of other people in the same demographic. It's pretty easy not to give up sensitive information. If you put something on there specific enough to raise a red flag or attract the attention of the authorities, it's your own fault! It's really up to you to put how much or how little information as you want! MySpace is a good way to keep in touch with friends at times when an actual visit or phone call isn't possible, exchanging pictures, letting them know how you're doing on a regular basis. It doesn't replace actual contacts but you can't phone all your friends all the time and MySpace makes it so easy to get news from friends by subscribing to their blogs or through bulletins. And reciprocally, you can use bulletins or blogs to share your moods and last news. Then again, some kids out there obviously make a point of having as many friends as they can, which hopefully helps them to feel less insecure. Social networking can turn out to be an infectious habit. Is the reason you have a personal MySpace page because everyone else has one? What's the point of having hundreds of fake friends whom you will never get to meet for real? Unless they are your only friends, which might be a sign that you're spending too much time in front of your computer.
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