With a declining user base and over customization, MySpace is becoming more like No One’s Space— at least according to many of the people who were once devoted users of the social networking site.

 Instead, they have turned in droves to the former up-and-coming— and now social networking giant— Facebook because of its usability, clearer design, and a perception of fewer ads and spam.

 “People still use MySpace?” Rachel Miles, a recent UNA graduate, asked. “Facebook is easier to use. I don’t have a lot of time to wait for some of those MySpace pages to load, with all the music and weird backgrounds. I want to see what my friends are doing, and I don’t want to waste time doing it.”

 

Since 2007, MySpace users have grown from 100 million to 125 million, according to Flowtown, a social media marketing company that operates a social media blog of the same name. 

 In the same period of time, Flowtown reports the number of Facebook users has leapt from 50 million to 500 million.  The average monthly traffic flow for MySpace is 1.9 million users, whereas the monthly numbers for Facebook traffic rise far above at 6.8 million users.          

 One of many reasons why MySpace is no longer a part of people’s everyday lives is the usability factor.   

 People say they are too busy these days to spend hours browsing galleries of backgrounds and layouts and songs to create and update their MySpace page.

 “Calling MySpace poorly designed doesn’t even begin to describe it,” said Darla Pitts, a junior majoring in business and also a user of Facebook.  “The layouts are blinding, and there’s just too much going on. That might have been fun when you were 16. But now, not so much.”

 MySpace is, as noted communications writer Richard Wray of the U.K.’s Guardian newspaper said “as messy and chaotic as a teenager’s bedroom.”

 Enter Facebook. Its simple user interface was once considered “boring.” However, in the days of 140-character Tweets, fast and easy are kings.

 The comments are familiar to the social media experts at Flowtown, which surveyed users on why they made the switch from MySpace to Facebook.

 “Simple and easy” was a strong point of Facebook. While MySpace was given high marks for allowing users room for self expression and uniqueness.

 Those surveyed also cite the ease in which users can post not only their thoughts of the day on Facebook, but also links, videos, photos and other items of interest.

 “Honestly, there are a lot of things on Myspace that aren’t really available on Facebook,” said Breana Perry, an alumnus of UNA and Myspace and Facebook user.  “For example, the music section on Myspace … you can’t find that on Facebook. But with those good things come all the ads and spam. Myspace is covered in advertising. There are ads on Facebook, too, but they don’t stand out as much.”

 In the end, Myspace may have suffered the fate of many other “firsts.” The coolness wore off, and people migrated to the convenience of Facebook over the style of Myspace.

 “Myspace was revolutionary for its time,” said senior Ben Moody, who prefers Facebook.  “Now, it feels outdated and irrelevant today, like a VCR.”