OCR Text |
Show oirnij m 7. tUict tS, 2006 PJ3yspace: A PasigeG for Users r C eh bus utility Bnaiidler? Westminster Students part of Web site's explosive popularity Dual printers flair in stereo while Mitch Short types a comment for his friend and classmate Abby Brass Myspace page. The computer lab in the basement of the Giovale Library (where Short works as a lab attendant) is packed and littered with people checking their Myspace profiles. Short gets up to help a lab patron fix a spreadsheet document, then sits back down to finish the comment, but not before passing three tell-tal- e computers with the white strip surrounded by baby blue margins. Its a common occurrence for younger people to come in here and check their Myspace, said Short, a freshman at Westminster. Probably 50 percent of younger people do it while theyre in here. Short works in the lab 17 hours a week and still manages to check his page for comments, messages, new online friends and event in- Browse Users post. I have power! More than 2,000 students attend Westminster and the Myspace group has brought in almost a third of them. According to pewinternet. I i Advanced org, a nonprofit organization m O-- ) Brows For; Women 0 Men 0 Both 0 betwwn fig'TFJ '' who ore: tjes; fis'I?! and Q 0 nd Q Single Dty0rce(j In a Relationship located within; Country; United States Postal Code; fAny U mile of (US, Canada, ' 8 Relationships Friends photos: 3 i j r hem fort 0 Dating Q Networking Married Swinger t or UK that analyzes the impacts on the Internet, increased time on the Internet is boosting Show onty users who have photos Show name and photo only 0 j5 only) Update j 3000 people in your network met the search criteria. 2 3 4 5 1 in ptf the dark Amy r Next 75 ttfwam 9 CHIC LcH JESSTCKA HEE raaagpfttiMgflti'' ?fr V ? I J- - bl? rtCeuh VlIi rteau T w 2 Online Nv' Online Now 4 Onkne Now! Online Hi w J?. Vc I A Myspace screen shot shows the variety c people who can be found on the careful with what you say or what information you leave, he said. Despite Myspaces purported dangers, millions of teens and ons name brings up the page young adults are vitations. information about personal interests, hobbies and a few things about the owner. The dissemination of information is one of the reasons Myspace has been taking so much flak in the media. Many cases of child abduction have been linked to some Myspace users penchant for divulging Myspace users are afforded a small picture space where they may post images of their choice. Short has a couple high school graduation pictures (one with a friend and one with his parents), a Ball photo and a snapshot of himself in his leprechaun costume for the 2005 updating their in- formation and De-wol- fe Gerald Narciso cus- tomizing their profiles. Users can change backgrounds, add music and even small flash-base- d games on their pages. Short has a purple mountain background with violet text on his page. pre-Preside- too much information. Iin sure people can get stalked on it like crazy, said 2003 graduate Gerald Narciso. Its kind of personal and I think that could hurt some people when they put it all out there for the world to see. It could be had for kids and Halloween Dance. These images are the ond half of the sec- anti-Myspa- ce camps arsenal. Pictures of girls and women wearing little or nothing are commonly found when browsing Myspaces many members. Girls as young as 14 pose in their underwear in multiple pictures. Jenna Jameson, a porn actress, has a page with links to her adult site. A quick search for James teenagers. Such attention and care can be a double-edge- d sword, Narciso. to according It can also portray you as a stalker, so you have to be I ut ated by freshman Chapin Paul-liAt press time, the group n. had 752 members listed as current students and 455 listed as alumni. I dont know why Im part of the group, said Short. Ive could hurt some people when they put it all out there for the world to see. It could be bad for kids and teenagers. still ging on, just-abo- site. Its kind of personal and I think that I check it at least once a day, sadly, said Short between clicks. Myspace.com began its addictive rise in 2003, when Tom Anderson and Chris saw the right moment for an online community to form. There are currently more than 50 million registered users with profiles on the networking site. Typical pages include log- with nude pictures of the adult entertainment star. Myspace.com has become such a haven for the scantily J Now clad that Playboy is conducting a contest to farm talent from the site. Many parents have become concerned with what their children are seeing in this online community. Myspace employs a few people to sort through every picture in the directory for pornographic images, but sorting through more than a billion pictures is impossible. Some slip through. If youre looking for near porn, it wouldnt be that hard to find, said Short. Its the next morning and as Short rolls out of bed, hes notified of a new message. A friend from high school has sent him a short question about his previous night. Since that person is logged on to MSN Messenger, he wont reply on Myspace. The noon sun creeps through Shorts dorm window as he gets dressed and prepares to eat breakfast with a friend. Short is part of the Westminster Myspace group moder never par- ticipated in the bulletin boards or anything, but Im in the group. When Paullin isnt taking pictures, playing soccer or trying to get lucky, hes taking a minimalist approach to overseeing the Westminster group. I just check it here and there, said Paullin. The group was here already. I joined it, then applied to be the moderator. I am in control of what people say. I can delete what you comment or social connections, contradicting the thought of many that computer and Internet use is mainly a solitary practice. Americans are in an era where they may have only one or two extremely close relationships, but dozens of core and significant ties. This means rather than relying on a single community for information, advice and resources, people do better when they actively seek out a variety of appropriate people and web resources for different situations, said a study conducted by The Pew Internet & American Life Project. Due to its immense population, naysayers have recently complained that Myspaces popularity is waning because its not cool anymore. I just think its losing that new feel and becoming a commonality, said Short. I still think its cool. Whether Myspace assimilates everyone or just dies out remains to be seen, but one things for certain: Myspace has become a force to be reckoned with and has made its mark on popular culture in the digital age. Myspace is an online community thats becoming bigger and bigger. Even people that once refused to get it are eventually getting it. Its a convenient means of communicating with good friends and new people alike, said Short. Yeah, it may die off, but I doubt it will happen any time soon. |