Rich-Get-Richer model through Facebook and Myspace
From 2005 to 2008, Myspace dominated the social networking market, even surpassing Google as the most visited webpage during one month. Myspace’s rise to prominence stemmed from its early start in the market, as it was one of the few established networking sites at the time. It also attracted key celebrities, who brought in even more users to the site. After garnering and establishing a foundation of users, we know that the dynamics of popularity are likely to drive up the site higher. According to the rich-get-richer model, a page’s current popularity determines the rate at which it grows. In other words, a web page’s popularity increases at a rate proportional to it’s current popularity. Thus, Myspace’s popularity took off with its initial base of users, and it became the predominant social site in the mid 2000s. At it’s peak, it was valued at $12 billion.
One may ask if Myspace was so popular, how did Facebook interrupt the rich-get-richer model and oust Myspace from its top position? One key factor was the quality and platform of the sites. Facebook provided a minimalistic layout with white space and blue borders that appealed to users, in contrast to the clunky user interface Myspace provided. Both sites offered users the option to customize, but Myspace offered too much customization. The flashy colors with animations and banner ads led to tacky profile pages, negatively affecting user experience. Facebook’s clean and easy to read design was an improvement in user experience. Furthermore, Myspace relied on entertainment and music to attract and connect users together, while Facebook emphasized social interactions. Facebook provided users more features to improve social networking, such as third-party apps and games. People viewed Myspace as a place to hangout, but Facebook was something more. People wanted to be able to showcase their hangouts to others as well, and Facebook empowered them through pictures and status updates. So, as Facebook started to grow on college campuses, it eventually spread to the general populace, breaking through the threshold rule, leading people to switch from Myspace to Facebook.
Sources: http://wojdylosocialmedia.com/myspace-started-popular/
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/jun/23/facebook-myspace-social-networks