Taking us back to 2003, Myspace speaks of the rise of one of the earliest of social networks. Beginning as a playground for music and all things pop culture, the birth of Myspace offered our world an entirely new way of connecting with one another. Launching the careers of stars like Katy Perry and helping the Obama political campaign, what began as a space for new friends quickly became one of experimentation and escape that changed the way we interact with the world around us.
Directed by Tommy Avallone, Myspace is an enjoyable trek into the early 00’s when the digital world that was still trying to find itself. Viewing our internet infancy with a nostalgic glow, Avallone recognizes the power of the burgeoning online culture of the time. It’s depicted as a joyful time when barriers are broken and new relationships sprung up instantly.
In fact, one has to admire Myspace for tapping into the site’s desire to bring people together. Here, the site is shown to be almost benevolent in its pursuits of creating relationships around the globe. We see how the nature of community was reshaped on the digital plain. With the physical barriers of connection removed, entirely new collectives were generated. From fans of pop culture to political activism, Myspace provided the opportunity for people to find their tribe based solely around their interest and commonalities. (What’s more, through interviews with celebs like Tila Taquila and Dane Cook, Avallone reminds the viewer how Myspace ripped down the walls between famous and fan.)
At the time, this was an entirely new way of viewing the world and ourselves. And the after effects continue to ripple until this day.
Even so, if there’s something missing from Myspace, it might be that it doesn’t delve deeply into those same ripples. While the film is an enjoyable ride into our recent social history, it doesn’t really explore the downside to the new world of relationships. Conversations surrounding internet trolls and online negativity are mentioned but only lightly, choosing instead to emphasize instead the ways our lives have changed for the better because of it.
Myspace is playing at Hot Docs ’26. For more information, click here.
