Photo Essay

MySpace or YourSpace?

In today’s world the internet has become something of a necessity and is no longer just something we use to make certain tasks more convenient such as e-mail vs. snail mail. Today what we have is something far beyond all of that. People go online to shop, pay bills, do homework, date and some simply to waste time. The last reason is why the popularity of such sites such as MySpace and FaceBook have become so popular. You can go online post photos of yourself, fill out the obligatory information regarding age, sex, status, likes/dislikes, favorite things and the list goes on. You then go surfing the site to find others like you to be your “friends”. Then you can look at their photos and information and take from it what you will. Of course some of you MySpace friends may be your real life friends, but as for the others who knows what they are really like or if what their profile says is true. It is a very strange phenomenon.

According to my MySpace account I have an extended network of 76,569,303. That basically means that I am connected to everyone and their brother in cyberspace. This is my account of the many degrees of separation of my friends on MySpace. You can see how each one of my friends is connected to each other and me, even some what famous people. I took just one route of friends on MySpace. Had I mapped them all out I think Blogger would have crashed. I do have a total of 73 friends on MySpace--which according to Mr. Tasman and Justin’s formula regarding internet friends to real live people (5 internet friends = 1 real life friend) I have 14.6 friends.

This is me..Kaylie, also known as Pigeon. Its a nickname that has no real story behind it, but I'm sure it causes some people to question it. Just like all people wonder in what context people's Myspace pictures were taken in. This one perhaps looks as thought I took it myself, but actually my roommate took it one day and I cropped it. I never would have even known such an interestign website existed in the first place had it not been for my good friend Nikki....

Meet Nikki, also known as "Nicole Diamonds is Forever." I have known Nikki since freshmen year. We both lived on the first floor of North Tower in Sandburg Hall. Nicole and I have the same birthday and she is going to school for Education. This picture of Nikki was taken in New York where she lived for a about a year. While she was there she was a nanny for this adorable little boy named Max that you can see in this picture. Through Nikki I also have become friends with my friend Matt.....

This is my friend Matt, the ceramics major. Matt looks like a carefree fun guy, which he undoubtedly is but what you can not tell from his profile or his list of likes and dislikes is that he a remarkably responsible guy as well. He is only 23 , owns his own house and is a manager for a painting business. Matt is a big fan of brewery tours and also on occassion goes salsa dancing with me and my friend Kristy...
This is Krisitn. We have been friends since we were in kindergarten well except for a slight falling out durign the years we all know as highschool and we've now been roommates since our sophmore year of college. Kristin's profile leads you to believe that she is a shy, sensitive and caring person. Well, she is. With Kristin what you see is what you get. With the exception of this picture in which she looks tough and even a little bit mean. Well maybe she gets it from her good friend Tony....

This is Tony. Tony and Kristin dated ealrier in our college career and now they are friends. Tony graduated from UWM a few years ago and now is a grad student in Alabama. Tony doesnt do anything unless he goes all out. Not only did he more or less randomnly pick a graduate school in a small town in Alabama, he decided to take his third semester and spend it abroad. In Prague. While he was there he also visited Egypt and some other places in Europe. Tony is a person that wants to live his life to the fullest. When he comes home he works at The Lodge downtown with Nicole...

This is Nicole (on the left). She works at The Lodge with Tony and was a member of my team in an advertising class last semester. Nicole is the essence of carefree. She spent a semester in Spain and is a Spanish and advertising major. Last semester she was key in helping us translate our surveys into spanish and as well as the creative pieces designed by Rebecca....

Also known as Becca. Becca was our Art Director. Becca is a member of the UWM Panther dance team. Some of Becca's pictures such as this one depict her as a fun and free spirited girl. Not to say that she is not but Becca is certianly some one who knows how to keep business and pleasure seperate. Especially when it comes to her future career in advertising...

Through advertising and our class I made some great contacts which brought me to the job I have know which is where I met Sheila also known as Kepi.A nickname she uses so scary people are unable to stalk her. Sheila interned at the same place I currently intern (soon to work full time) and she was also hired after she graduated such as I will soon be. You may not be able to tell from her profile or her pictures that she grew up in a tiny town way up north. But dont worry Sheila's not trying to jump ship...she's jusyt enjoying her vacation from the real world where she works with Jen.....

This is Jen. Jen and Sheila have worked together for the last few years and they are two of only a handful of women that work at our agency. During their spare time at work they would play Carcassonne over the internet. A game that I still don't understand. Jen would always spend Friday mornings listening to Chicken Shack. As much as Jen loved her job with us she decided to spread her wings and fly back to Seattle where she now resides with her boyfriend. But we all still keep in touch by watching America's Next Top Model where our pick to win is Joanie....

Out of all the too skinny, drama filled girls on this season of America's Next Top Model, Joanie is by far the coolest. Joanie may look uber serious in this photo but really she is a goofy girl from the east coast who is in competition to become a super model. Throughout the show she under went massive dental surgery to correct her less than perfect smile. All of this she has shared with us through the wonderful world of the internet and the addictive source called MySpace.