On the one hand you have the aloof tech billionaire with the people skills of a belligerent rock; on the other you have everyone’s first MySpace friend. Who will come out on top? Well, I think we all already know, but let’s go through the motions regardless. It’ll be fun.
THE FOUNDER
ZUCKERBERG Just watch The Social Network. I’m not saying it’s the best film ever or even 100 per cent accurate (it’s neither) but it is a decent window into the mindset and character of possibly the most influential man in the world. After starting Facebook in 2004, he personally helmed it to become the titan it is today, becoming the (slightly robotic) face of the company.
MYSPACE TOM Look at his little face. Who doesn’t get nostalgia chills simply from seeing that photo? Every time someone joined MySpace, Tom would be their first friend. At the time none of us quite realised who he was: Tom Anderson, who founded the platform on 1 August 2003. He seemed like the living embodiment of a chill dude and, after selling MySpace in 2012, that’s exactly what he became.
THE PLATFORM
ZUCKERBERG Do I really need to explain Facebook? It’s a damn verb now and is one of the most lucrative companies in the world, with a conservative GOBankingRates Evaluation in excess of $130 billion. It’s changed the world in a very real sense. If you want my opinion on whether that’s a good thing or not, Facebook me.
MYSPACE TOM I was genuinely a bit surprised to find MySpace not only still exists but is chugging along as much as it’s ever been. Back in the day, it was the king of social media, the golden child that just couldn’t quite keep up with the times. When Rupert Murdoch bought the site in 2005 for a staggering $580 million he hoped it would be the next tool in his news arsenal; turns out it was firing blanks.
THE NET WORTH
ZUCKERBERG One of the wealthiest tech entrepreneurs in the world, Zuckerberg’s $71.7 billion net worth is pretty well documented. Court appearances and controversies don’t seemed to have diminished it; but then, when all you buy is business hoodies, it’s no real surprise.
MYSPACE TOM Oh Tom Anderson, how we love your happy, happy face. But here and now your net-worth of $60 million is a little sad… you’re worth less than 1/100th of Zuckerberg. That’s what happens when you sell too early. At least we’ll always have the memories.
THE CONTROVERSY
ZUCKERBERG Where to start? Fake news and misinformation are rife on Facebook no matter what they try to do, and Zuckerberg’s been in court for breach of various data protection acts. He came off pretty well to be honest, but the controversies haven’t died down – and are unlikely to any time soon.
MYSPACE TOM The biggest controversy in MySpace history wasn’t all that recent but still impacted the main use of the site: music discovery. Earlier this year the site lost 12 years’ worth of uploads in a botched server migration. I’m sure that everyone affected will keep calm and collected about the whole thing.
THE LEGACY
ZUCKERBERG Aside from bringing grey hoodies to every tech boardroom, Zuckerberg’s legacy is still in the making. So far he’s keeping Facebook relevant but when the next big thing inevitably takes over how will he be seen? Probably as the father of social media which, while a little inaccurate, illustrates just how important he’s been. That might not be a good thing.
MYSPACE TOM MySpace laid the foundations for what Facebook could become. Granted a lot of that was things you shouldn’t do, but every little helps. As a platform it’s still around and could even grow with greater integration with other platforms. Tom however has nothing to do with that. He’s living his best life as a travel photographer across the Indian Ocean. If Zuckerberg had a soul, he’d be jealous. And yes, he still goes by ‘Myspace Tom’.
VERDICT
Yes this was a foregone conclusion but dammit if we don’t want to plump for Tom. He quit MySpace early to go do what he wanted and now travels the world as a photographer. Who wouldn’t love that? Even so, Mark Zuckerberg has changed the face of not just social networking but also the modern world and for that, he has to be the winner.
