08/08/2026
The current owners of Myspace, Chris and Tim Vanderhook, have publicly confirmed that they are planning a relaunch of the platform. One of the key ideas they've discussed is creating an alternative to today's algorithm-driven social media environment, which they argue has become dominated by endless scrolling, engagement optimization, and addictive recommendation systems.
The relaunch is reportedly being framed around some of the things people miss about the early internet:
Chronological feeds rather than algorithmic feeds
More emphasis on friends and communities
Greater profile customization
Creativity and self-expression
Music discovery and culture
Less focus on maximizing screen time
This appears to be a response to a deeper shift in social media that many users crave. The original Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter were primarily social networks. Their purpose was to help you keep up with people you knew or chose to follow.
Over time, many platforms evolved into attention-maximization systems - as this led to the greatest profit. Instead of showing you what your friends posted, they increasingly show you whatever is most likely to keep you engaged. The incentive changed from: "Help people connect" to "Maximize time spent on the platform."
And once that became the dominant incentive, many downstream effects followed:
outrage became profitable
polarization became profitable
addiction became profitable
endless scrolling became profitable
creator culture, particularly junk content, displaced genuine social connection
We shall see how this relaunch unfolds.
