Myspace may be poised for an unexpected comeback after almost 20 years of fading from the spotlight, with its owners looking to give the former social media powerhouse a fresh identity in a market now dominated by today’s biggest platforms.
Tim and Chris Vanderhook, the brothers who own the once-dominant social networking site, have revealed plans to relaunch MySpace with a renewed vision.
Their goal, they said, is to build a social media platform that feels noticeably different from the apps users rely on today — many of which have been criticized for algorithm-driven feeds and designs that keep people scrolling for hours.
In a new documentary titled “Myspace,” the Vanderhooks said they had already “built an entirely new Myspace,” though that earlier effort ultimately failed to take off.
“We really tried to modernize it, but it was a different company at that point. It wasn’t the same Myspace,” Tim said in the documentary, reflecting on the challenges of reviving the brand.
Chris offered a similar view, saying, “By that time, they had been through four other sets of management and CEOs. We were going to be the fifth ones, and I think that there were a lot of the people who were really just done.”
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The brothers still intend to bring Myspace back in some form, though they have not announced a specific relaunch date.
“And if that one doesn’t work, we’ll do it again,” Tim said.
Tom Anderson, Myspace’s co-founder and everyone’s automatic first friend, sold the company in 2005 and is not expected to be involved in the Vanderhooks’ upcoming initiative.
MySpace first launched in 2003, becoming one of the biggest social networking websites in the world, known for customizable profiles, music features and a “Top Friends” list before Facebook eventually surpassed it as the top social media application.
Between 2005 and 2008, Myspace was considered the most popular social media website. MySpace and Facebook would both attract roughly 115 million visitors per month in 2008, but Facebook surpassed MySpace in global website traffic around that time and overtook Myspace in unique US visitors in 2009, taking control of Myspace’s most important demographic.
Facebook never looked back, as its growth in the next few years was too much for MySpace to overcome, capped off by a max exodus in 2010.
Myspace can still be accessed, but it is nowhere near what it once was. Tom Anderson is also still accessible, but he has not posted on the platform in 13 years.
