In today’s modern technologically advanced society, we are conditioned to believe faster and sleeker are the better option. We have only ourselves and the companies we toss our hard-earned dollars at to blame. Video game companies shell out half-finished projects only to later require a fee. Big-time phone companies like Apple offer very few tweaks with each passing phone year while jacking up the price. And what do we do? To quiet our hunger for more consumption, we give in to their demands. The social media side of society is certainly no better. From that doomed day that we turned our backs on Tom Anderson, we began our Dante’s Inferno descent into the social hell that would consume us all.
There are rumors of a new social media platform, similar to the iconic MySpace, spreading like wildfire among the web. Let me be the first to introduce you to SpaceHey, the MySpace-like platform here to bring us closer together. The mission statement of SpaceHey, “a space for friends.” speaks to what they hope to achieve. With no ad targeting, minimum input from outside companies, and an overall goal of creating a space for friends, SpaceHey is rapidly gaining traction.
Upon creating a profile, you are greeted with your first friend, SpaceHey creator Anton Röhm (goes by “An”.) An is a 19-year-old software developer from Germany. According to his social media channels, An has been the sole operator keeping the platform alive. An is just like any other regular teen. According to his SpaceHey profile, An is into reading, Top 40s hits from the 80s and 90s, The Matrix, and coding. What sets An apart from other teens is his ability to seriously shake up the social media landscape in the following years.
Since the days of MySpace, society has seen a load of social media platforms come and go. Despite many attempts, very few were able to capture the essence and magic that made MySpace. Companies threw out the coding and formula which made many MySpace profiles very unique in favor of a dull one-dimensional layout. Our privacy and data have been stripped from us and sold to the highest bidder. Home feeds are tracked with ads while politics and headlines divide us. For SpaceHey, the platform brings back what makes social media fun.
Much like MySpace, SpaceHey is upfront and gives a great overview of what the platform is. Everything is very similar to the retro MySpace while implementing elements of new-age social media. A positive note many users rave about is the ease of browsing without constant salesmen in your face. SpaceHey prides itself on allowing users the creative freedom to feel like a senior coding major in college.
SpaceHey, when signing up, gives you a rundown of its operations: “SpaceHey brings back all the things you missed most about Social Networks: Bulletins, Blogs, Forums, Instant Messages, and so much more! SpaceHey allows you to add custom HTML and CSS Code to your Profile to give you all the freedom you need to make your Profile truly your Space on the web. It has no algorithms, no tracking, and no personalized Ads – you decide what you want to share and what content you’d like to view.”
Since last week, SpaceHey has been trending on Twitter. Due to many people signing up for the Y2K like platform, An has been regularly working nonstop keeping the lights on at home. As of this writing, SpaceHey has amassed over 300,000 users and climbing. If growth and the appeal of a retro-style social media platform continue to rise, SpaceHey could revamp the social media landscape. Like MySpace did in 2005, SpaceHey is in a good position to repeat history.
