WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.000
Those of you who were teenagers or tweeners in the early 2000s probably remember MySpace,

00:00:05.000 --> 00:00:10.280
the big dog in town before Facebook came along to seal its thunder, even once accounted

00:00:10.280 --> 00:00:13.640
for over 4% of all US website visits.

00:00:13.640 --> 00:00:21.040
That's a lot, and it was a place for friends and a crazy vortex of sparkly unicorn gifs

00:00:21.040 --> 00:00:29.040
and bad emo songs. And while MySpace had problems with spam and poor design that ultimately led to its downfall,

00:00:29.040 --> 00:00:38.080
plenty of folks do still miss it. And now, my MySpace clone called SpaceHey that popped up in late 2020 already has a user

00:00:38.080 --> 00:00:43.560
base well into the six figures. But why has it become popular all of a sudden?

00:00:43.560 --> 00:00:48.200
Is it just a nostalgia rush for those of us who miss a simpler time, or is it really

00:00:48.200 --> 00:00:55.920
offering something the big social networks don't? Well, aside from the combo of millennials wanting a blast from the past and zoomers curious

00:00:55.920 --> 00:01:02.080
about the way things used to be, SpaceHey is actually notable for what it doesn't have.

00:01:02.080 --> 00:01:06.600
According to a developer, a teenager from Germany, there are no algorithms that try

00:01:06.600 --> 00:01:10.160
to feed you content that's addictive, spammy, or annoying.

00:01:10.160 --> 00:01:18.000
So forget about a feature that's like TikToks for you. There isn't even a like function or a news feed pushing posts at you, so SpaceHey clearly

00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:24.320
isn't built for chasing your dopamine fix. In fact, there are no algorithms at all.

00:01:24.320 --> 00:01:27.880
And no ad tracking, meaning it's a lot like the older web where you had a relatively

00:01:27.880 --> 00:01:32.480
blank slate, strobing banner ads notwithstanding, that you'd populate it with whatever you

00:01:32.480 --> 00:01:37.520
wanted to say or to show to people, and that was kind of it.

00:01:37.520 --> 00:01:41.760
SpaceHey profile pages themselves are almost an exact replica of MySpace.

00:01:41.760 --> 00:01:45.960
You get a small profile photo, an about me section, a prominent area that displays people

00:01:45.960 --> 00:01:49.880
you've friended and any comments they may have left for you, as well as a section to

00:01:49.880 --> 00:01:55.800
list interests. Blogging, forums, and instant messaging are all supported, as well as custom HTML and

00:01:55.800 --> 00:02:00.240
CSS, so you can make your profile page just as gaudy and terrible as it was when MySpace

00:02:00.240 --> 00:02:03.840
ruled the world. That's a bad idea, by the way.

00:02:03.840 --> 00:02:06.880
Custom HTML is like really exploitable.

00:02:06.880 --> 00:02:13.800
But that's about the end of the feature list. SpaceHey feels like a foil for the major social media services like Twitter, Instagram, and

00:02:13.800 --> 00:02:17.520
Facebook, which are extremely pervasive in our lives.

00:02:17.520 --> 00:02:21.640
Not just because we use them so much, but because when we do use them, there are always

00:02:21.640 --> 00:02:29.000
so many things jockeying for our attention. Between promoted ads, algorithmically optimized outrage, and people trying to dunk on each

00:02:29.000 --> 00:02:33.760
other in the replies, many users report feeling overwhelmed and burnt out.

00:02:33.760 --> 00:02:38.520
And the algorithms can't work without collecting lots of data on our lives and preferences,

00:02:38.520 --> 00:02:45.280
so it isn't surprising that these services, notably Facebook, have been embroiled in huge

00:02:45.280 --> 00:02:48.920
amounts of controversy over how this data is handled.

00:02:48.920 --> 00:02:53.600
And even when it isn't the companies themselves misusing the data, there's a strong argument

00:02:53.600 --> 00:02:59.560
to be made that the post as often as you can nature of these services promotes over-sharing

00:02:59.560 --> 00:03:03.200
and this feeling of having your life being made a little too public.

00:03:03.200 --> 00:03:07.880
Combine it with controversies over disinformation and low self-esteem promoted by these algorithms,

00:03:07.880 --> 00:03:13.880
and it shouldn't be surprising that enough people just want some kind of alternative

00:03:13.960 --> 00:03:22.360
they can at least use on the side. Of course, we're not going to say Space Hay is going to be the next big social media giant,

00:03:22.360 --> 00:03:30.240
but it's not trying to be. It's likely to remain a niche service for the curious, the exhausted, and the minimalist.

00:03:30.240 --> 00:03:34.480
But isn't that just what we might all need these days?

00:03:34.480 --> 00:03:40.040
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to go listen to some MCR.

00:03:40.040 --> 00:03:46.080
Thanks for watching, guys. Like, dislike, check out some of our other videos, comment with video suggestions, and

00:03:46.080 --> 00:03:47.400
don't forget to subscribe and follow.