Managing in Troubled Times Case Study

MySpace and Lifestyle Media: Critical Issues

OR

Abstract:

With 82% of the market share in its category, MySpace was the leading social networking website where people could share photos, music, videos and other interests with a growing network of mutual friends. MySpace helped users create a virtual world where people could communicate and socialise through their membership profiles without actually meeting them in reality. The rise of MySpace exemplified the emergence of lifestyle media as the most sought-after communication medium, particularly among the teenagers. Lifestyle media had evolved as a combination of personalised media experience, empowering consumers to utilise their productive, leisure and social time around converged media experiences.

The case, while providing an overview of MySpace and lifestyle media as a whole, underscored the meteoric rise of the social networking websites and its impact on the society.

Pedagogical Objectives:

• To discuss the emergence of lifestyle media and its business perspective
• To understand the evolution of MySpace and its pitfalls
• To analyse whether MySpace would able to sustain its popularity in the long run.

Keywords : Myspace; Lifestyle media; Social networking website; Friendster; FriendSpace; Convergence; Millennials; MySpace Music; MySpace Records; Rupert Murdoch; On-line advertising; Viral marketing; Video content; Mass media; Managing in Troubled Times Case Study; Sexual assault

Contents:

• The Evolution of MySpace
• The Genesis of Lifestyle Media
• The Pitfalls
• Moving Ahead