This Old Space

Posted by: Rob Hof on October 05

It looks like MySpace is not just for teens after all. For better (broader audience) or worse (yuck, who are all these sketchy old guys here?), some 68% of people on MySpace are 25 or older, according to Comscore. Kids 12 to 17 represent only 12% of the audience now, less than half the percentage of a year ago.

I do wonder how active these older people are on the site, though. (In fact, John DeMayo doubts the numbers altogether.) Gil Penchina, CEO of Wikia, yesterday noted that the reason social networking has skewed younger is not that older people don’t want to do it or that they’re hidebound when it comes to technology. It’s that younger people are all too willing to spam their entire IM or email contacts to join MySpace, while people older are more careful of annoying their friends. So in other words, the raging popularity of social networking is built largely on the lack of respect younger people show toward their friends? I’m sure it’s more than that, but I bet older people use these social networks very differently.

TrackBack URL for this entry: http://blogs.businessweek.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/

Reader Comments

Mr Wave Theory

October 6, 2006 06:06 AM

This kind of corporate cloak and dagger is not unheard of, but it certainly is one of the most controversial statements that I have heard. I can understand why Brad is upset.

Most venture capitalists, including those at Redpoint and Vantagepoint Venture Partners, would probably agree with that they sold MySpace too early. However, you can't blame them. After 4 years of lackluster returns (no exits in fact) from their portfolios, Redpoint and VantagePoint were probably ecstatic to show any exit to their limited partners. VCs have bosses too! They are public pension funds and corporate investment funds that rely on these investments to pay for your retirement.

More MySpace Fraud
http://mrwavetheory.blogspot.com/2006/10/myspace-founder-accuses-news.html

Post a comment

 

About

BusinessWeek writers Peter Burrows, Cliff Edwards, Steve Hamm, Rob Hof, Olga Kharif, Steve Wildstrom, Catherine Holahan, and Spencer Ante dig behind the headlines to analyze what’s really happening throughout the world of technology. One of the first mainstream media tech blogs, Tech Beat covers everything from tech bellwethers like Apple, Google, and Intel and emerging new leaders such as Facebook to new technologies, trends, and controversies.

RSS Feed: Tech Beat

Categories

 

BW Mall - Sponsored Links