MySpace Creeps Into TV's Space
Maybe you haven’t been hankering to access MySpace on your TV, but no matter. In a deal announced at this week’s International Consumer Electronics Show, MySpace has teamed with Toshiba, Samsung, Intel and Yahoo to produce MySpace-ready TVs, part of a broader initiative by the technology providers to incorporate more computer-based experiences into a number of devices, including the set-top box.
Sure, it’s interesting, but I hope that none of the parties involved expect TVs to fly off the shelves because they are MySpace-friendly. As this story on AdAge.com points out, many of us are already perfectly content to social network on our laptop while watching the tube, and though it’s an interesting idea to make all of that a one-screen experience, and access MySpace from your remote, it’s not a reason to buy a TV. Further, as dynamic as MySpace and any other popular social network can be, being online is rarely a one-site experience. Users of MySpace on their TV may well find they feel boxed in by only being able to use that one site on their TV, and decide to pull out the laptop.
Catharine P. Taylor has been covering digital media and advertising for almost 15 years and is a frequent speaker at conferences about media and advertising. She posts daily to BNET Media, writes the weekly Social Media Insider column for Mediapost and also has her own advertising blog, Adverganza.com. Follow her on Twitter or subscribe to the BNET Media Twitter feed.
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