I saw this coming for sometime now. Social network giants such as MySpace are successful because they are user driven peer to peer type interactions and developments. These sites allow users to create their own custom profiles, blogs, post and share music. Thanks to a $500 + million dollar takeover by NewsCorp the web site now experiences a growing corporate network rather than a social network. The web site is loosing its purpose and many MySpace users are catching on and ridiculing these corporations creating custom profiles to promote their products or services. Marketers are spending so much time understanding consumer generated media space that they fail to see what made the site attractive to users in the first place. Studies have shown that the MySpace marketing these corporations perform does not significantly affect sales.

Many marketers attempt to jump on the bandwagon by developing “viral videos” to promote their products but often fail. It’s almost like MySpace is a collaborative effort of “young cool kids” and these corporations represent the “older adult trying to be hip” by blending in inconspiciously. The line between a profiles authenticity and advertising on MySpace is thinner than Nicole Richie.