MySpace used to ID rape, robbery suspects

[jason]

Originally published at .... You can comment here or there.

From news.com Comes a story about MySpace.

“A story out of Boulder, Colo., today might be of particular interest to those who meet people through social networking sites, or at least their parents in the case of young MySpace users…. Six men were arrested in connection with the rape and robbery of a woman who they had become acquainted with through MySpace, authorities told The Associated Press. The group met for a party that turned violent, with blood left in almost every room and some $40,000 in electronics, jewelry, clothing and other items taken, the story said.”

original story

I find MySpace very interesting. It has almost no opportunities for content or any communication. It is I guess like walking past people in the shopping mall, or trying to meet people at a Rave. Too much noise and surface glitter to allow any sort of real communication. And when you have nothing to say, it is better to find a forum where this is impossible. Compare this to say LiveJournal where you are at least judged by what you write and say, who your social network is and what they say, as well as a pile of lesser accessed stats. I wonder if what makes MySpace so dangerous is the lack of depth possible, the ability of people to appear to communicate without doing more than shouting into someone’s ear about how cool one is.

Not that any place is free from the imposition of dangerous individuals, but when you have to spend a couple of months writing about yourself (and reading/commenting on other’s in a meaningful manner) to get any sort of cred (lj) or just start spamming people with infomericals about yoursef (myspace), I think that MySpace is just asking for trouble and LJ modeled on the notion of knowing, at least textually, who you’re talking to and what they’re saying.

Comments

[loverain.livejournal.com]

I think it has many opportunities for content and meaningful communication but I think that just depends on the kind of person you are and what your network is about. People who are all about kissing ass & uselessness will do similar things on lj. I've recently noticed the amount of communities devoted to "hot or not" "rate my toe" on lj. I wouldn't say it's similiar to myspace but I wouldn't discredit myspace as nothing more than writing swee nothing in the comment box. I've had many really intense & wonderful communications with people on myspace, not as much as here but it still happens.

I do totally agree with your point about the way cred comes about on lj. It's much tougher to get away with shit than on myspace because people are all on troll-alert.

[complicittheory.livejournal.com]

You make good points, of course. The truth is we can all do good things on poorly designed spaces. I guess I feel that the LJ design affords certain types of practices more easily, and models that sort of practice. At the least, the adds on MySpace are constant reminders that it is not OURspace, but someone elses...

[aleja.livejournal.com]

I hate MySpace. I really do. It's just so hard on the eyes and the brain... I always wonder why it's the "in" thing, why everyone gravitates there, out of all the gazillion networking sites. I mean, it's all the same principle, why does everyone pick the ugliest [in several ways] one?

My visceral feelings on the matter won't allow me to engage in thoughtful discourse on the nature and potential of online spaces and community and blah blah blah. I just dislike the thing. And yet, I'm on it, because people won't go anywhere else.

LJ is definitely a more "real" space for me, but of course it too has its critics, those who are "real" bloggers with their domains and MT installations. That setup ultimately didn't work for me, because I needed a tighter sense of community. MySpace just feels... incestuous, and young, a creepy combo.

[complicittheory.livejournal.com]

Well put. I have an account so I can watch and I'm curious. But that's part of my job. I'd never have an account otherwise. Orkut looked interesting, but crashed for me. I still have an account on linkedin, but it is not much value either. LJ's the only one that interests me. I've been blogging since sometime before 2000, I think. And have had all other flavours of blogs that I'd care to mention, but my LJ is most satisfying... especially because the a-listers avoid it. But I like my WP, where I posted this, cause it has a cross post to LJ function... sweet.