MySpacers 'Not Happy' About Murdoch

August 2, 2005

Well ... did not see this one coming.

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Since Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. purchased Intermix Media Inc., which owns online community MySpace, last month, members of the online social network have been suspicious. There are many MySpace�members�who are considered counterculture, and they fear their freewheeling ways�-- celebrated in naughty notes, brash blogs and provocative photos --�won’t be felicitous with the values of Murdoch’s media outlets, which are reknown for being right-wing mouthpieces for the Bush administration. Many fear “Fox” Murdoch will add fees and even censor content, while with the fear of privacy infringements.

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His motives, among MySpacers, are questionable at best. The billionaire purchased Intermix primarily so that Fox Interactive Media can reach the site’s 22 million registered users. The young online social outlet allows people to create journals/blogs, and then share their entries with others.�After the sale was announced, spoofers (AP’s word) added a profile for Murdoch, too: straight, married, 74 — which says he has joined the site for “networking” and lists his occupation as “world domination.” (Are we sure the creators were spoofers? The profile sounds about right. As does the profile for the president of the university college from which I graduated.)

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Myspace.com ranks as the No. 5 Web site based on page-views, according to Internet-rating service comScore Media Metrix. The two-year-old site is currently the most popular social networking site in the world. It simplifies people’s ability to customize their home pages with personal photos, art, color and music, along with, lists of favorite activities, books, music and films. (If you’re really hip, photograph yourself holding a handwritten note for the viewer to read. Drop names of obscure bands into your profile. Oh, and wear a white belt.) Users can get site-wide bulletins, but they mostly communicate with friends or intriguing strangers they’ve expressly allowed into a network. (Bad bands often use the site to debut their music, although even quality bands have pages for users to sample music, find out about dates of shows, update fans, etc.)

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With the deal, News Corporation’s U.S. Web traffic will nearly double to more than 45 million unique monthly users. Intermix attracts about 27 million users to its sites specializing in entertainment, humor, gaming and social networking, as well as sharing or sampling of pictures, music and video.

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However, Chris DeWolfe, co-founder and CEO of the Los Angeles-based MySpace, told AP that the News Corp. acquisition will change nothing about the site — other than to extend MySpace’s international reach.

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News Corp. spokeswoman Teri Everett told AP the company has “no intention of imposing any sensibilities on MySpace,” and that none of the anti-Murdoch messages will be deleted.

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DRB