The social media sphere is buzzing Tuesday over the first glimpse of the New Myspace.
Backers of the new site include singer Justin Timberlake, known around the globe for his international hit “SexyBack”. Last summer Timberlake took an ownership stake in Myspace, and on Monday the pop star posted a promotional video on Twitter , unveiling a revamped site poised to serve as a music lover’s visually stimulating alternative to Facebook.
“[The interface] looks a bit like Facebook-meets-Instagram, with hints of Pinterest and Windows 8,” said MTV writer Gil Kaufman in an article Tuesday. “The demo of the beta site also shows how users can grab a song they find on another person's page and drop it into one of their mixes,” he described.
In the early 2000s, Myspace was a social media giant. Within a year of its launch in 2003, the site had more than a million unique visitors each month according to a timeline compiled by The Atlantic .
In July 2005, media giant News Corp purchased Myspace for $580 million. But by 2009, Facebook surpassed Myspace in traffic and by January 2011, Myspace laid off 47 percent of its workforce.
Last June Timberlake and Specific Media purchased the site for $35 million. According to reports, the New Myspace will have an entertainment focus with hopes of becoming the online destination for original shows, videos and music.
