Does MYSPACE serve as a place for individuality or conformity? (1 Viewer)

[shaemitchell]

READ BEFORE ANSWERING POLL!

Does myspace serve as a place for individuality or conformity?

ie. Everyday when people change and create profiles for themselves are they creating them in true likeness to themselves(individuality) or manipulating them so to be perceived as cool, popular or to gain more friends and attention(conformity).

 

[ellen.louise]

well it's not like you create your myspace to reflect the wanker that you really are...

 

[idling fire]

Depends on what kind of person they actually are. Some people would just make up anything to get attention, to be popular etc. Others are actually that 'awesome' (or see themselves that way) that they don't feel they need to make up anything. Then there are those who don't feel as though they are being "themselves" IRL, and have this alternate blog to show how they actually percieve themselves to be.

Therefore, no vote on either from me.

But then again, I think MySpace is teh uber lame, so the above could arguably be disregarded.

 

[nichhhole]

its amusing.
so many people try to be 'individualistic' and 'unique' by writing those gay, 'deep' things like.. ' noone knows the real me, and writing about myself in this 'about me section' will not get you to know me' etc..
butin the end..
everyone just ends up sounding the same.
the harder they try to be 'unique' the more they conform to that pathetic 'im so deep' profile.

myspace is bullshit.
but i'm addicted.
A: 'nichole you're sooo pretty"
Me: 'Ohhh A! no, you're SOOO pretty'
A: 'oh but nichole you're soooo funny!'
Me: 'ohhh! but you're so witty and fun!'
.... and then 5hrs later i have 20 comments and 0 work done.

 

[shaemitchell]

haha yes i know what you mean. i regret choosing this topic sometimes because of the whole website primary research stuff which in the end gives me 0 research and 30 mins of wasted time. but it serves as an interesting topic i mean everyone in my SOC class has myspace so its not that hard to find a focus group its just getting research i can use. i usually end up with "did you see her pictures" or "hes a myspace hoar".

all good fun though. for anyone reading this thread theres a survey on the same topic that would be uber fun to do for me!

 

[rkp]

just by having your own myspace you are conforming to the norm that has presented itself within some teenage subcultures

 

[shaemitchell]

From my research its a norm that has presented itself as a socialising mechanism within all teenage sub cultures. The fact that i have one myself has given me a greater understanding of the flexibility for which one will so easily trade or manipulate their identity to conform to social ideas of normality.

 

[Conspirocy]

maybe people are just similar throught natural process. What may appear to be comformity could just be that there will always be an 'average' and most people will be at the mean. People being the same or writing the same thing could just reflect that they are the same, and not that one or both of them are trying to imitate the mean (or make themselves look cool).

I picked conformity for the answer. However, because everyone has a myspace doesn't mean it really is conformity. Most people have a tv in their house, we don't go around saying people are conforming because they watch tv. Perhaps the myspace idea is going to be a long lasting part of human culture and is part of its evolution. Human beings are constantly adding aspects to their daily life due to technological change and myspace is no different.

 

[lilkiwicutie89]

i duno really.. ive had a website, webapge, blog etc since year 10 lols....


um it likes a diary.. but more brief...

individuality can be seen by actually making a site.. conformity.. im not sure about that..

 

[idling fire]

maybe people are just similar throught natural process. ... People being the same or writing the same thing could just reflect that they are the same

Human existence = one big cliche.

 

[Conspirocy]

Human existence = one big cliche.

agreed

 

[rooster89]

conformity by simply having a myspace profile, individuality by the way people make their profile their own(about me, layout etc)

 

[Not-That-Bright]

Can't you conform and still be an individual? RELATIVITY.

 

[shaemitchell]

Can't you conform and still be an individual? RELATIVITY.

I dont understand sorry. What do you mean by conforming whilst being an individual. I always classed them as antonyms i guess?



Also i know some of you have answered this sort of already. But heres two more questions if your feeling extra nice


1. Do you think the majority of individuals on myspace manipulate their profiles so to gain more friends etc? Why do they do this?


In my research i have noticed a distinct difference in a majority of individuals between their normal personality and digital persona which may be related to an identity crisis as most of them are of a young age trying to work out their true identity. This being


2. Does myspace aid the process of realisation of ones identity or hinder it?

 

[Not-That-Bright]

I dont understand sorry. What do you mean by conforming whilst being an individual. I always classed them as antonyms i guess?

It's possible to be an individual and still end up in a state of conformity i.e. it just so happens that everyone else has the same tastes, basically, as you, by that same token it's also possible to conform with others while doing so merely because that's your individual desire.

I mean one of the most interesting things that I find, with this whole 'be an individual' type marketting that's out there is that it's creating masses of people that by trying so hard to be individuals are turning out basically the same. When everyone's being an individual isn't that another type of conformity?

 

[volition]

haha you're all wrong! myspace is neither a place for individuality or conformity, it's a massive advertising vechicle disguised as a social networking site

 

[shaemitchell]

haha you're all wrong! myspace is neither a place for individuality or conformity, it's a massive advertising vechicle disguised as a social networking site

Your right, studies have shown that the higher the interactivity of an Internet site, the more likely it is that users will produce "false memory" (ie, recollection of attributes that were not demonstrated but that were sufficiently plausible for users to believe they were true) and from this theyve increased advertising and with myspace so large theyre putting more adverts on it. but thats not the focus of my pip.

by trying so hard to be individuals are turning out basically the same. When everyone's being an individual isn't that another type of conformity?

Yes i understand what you mean now. Its an interesting way to look at it.Ive noticed that aswell its funny when you asee masses of info talking about individuality then you see the same thing on the next page. Its like the stereotype of our generation.
So do you think that there is any 'individuals' on myspace? or is it just a network of 'individual conformists' and 'social conformists'.

 

[Not-That-Bright]

So do you think that there is any 'individuals' on myspace? or is it just a network of 'individual conformists' and 'social conformists'.

I think it's impossible to know and also actually a fairly boring question, if anything I'd say i'm critical of the concept of conformity and individualism.

 

[jakobf]

Myspace is lame, but this is funny - www.myspace.com/vfprankcalls

 

[circusmind]

Why would myspace be any different to real life? Or are we talking myspace whores who stack friends lists with people they'll never meet.