How Myspace works: What to know ahead of iconic social media platform's revival
This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.
- Myspace owners Tim and Chris Vanderhook announced plans to relaunch the iconic platform during a 2026 documentary
- TUKO.co.ke shared all you need to know about the iconic platform as many social media users await to see what new features the revived version will come with
- At its peak between 2005 and 2008, Myspace attracted an estimated 115 million monthly users worldwide
For a generation that grew up choosing a profile song and carefully curating a Top 8 Friends list, the news that Myspace is coming back carries real weight.
Brothers Tim and Chris Vanderhook, who own the platform through Viant Technology, confirmed the relaunch during a 2026 documentary, telling viewers that the timing simply needed to be right.
"We still own Myspace. We are stewards of the Myspace brand at this point, and we are going to relaunch Myspace. We're just waiting for the right time to do it. And if that one doesn't work, we'll do it again," Tim Vanderhook said.
No official launch date has been set, but the brothers say the new version will blend nostalgia with features suited to modern internet users.
What made Myspace so popular
Myspace was launched in 2003 and rapidly grew into one of the most visited websites on earth. Between 2005 and 2008, it held the title of the world's most popular social media platform, drawing roughly 115 million monthly users at its height.
What set it apart was the level of creative control it handed to users because profiles could be customised from top to bottom, with personal colour schemes, backgrounds, layouts and an embedded song that played automatically when someone visited your page.
Users could also add friends, send messages and browse other profiles in a way that felt genuinely personal rather than algorithmic.
Every new account also came with one automatic friend: co-founder Tom Anderson, whose smiling profile photo made him one of the most recognisable figures in early internet culture.
Musicians, in particular, found Myspace invaluable. The platform let artists upload their own tracks, engage directly with fans and build an audience without the backing of a major record label, years before music streaming became the norm.
However, Facebook overtook Myspace in global traffic around 2008 and surpassed it in unique US visitors the following year, triggering a decline the platform never recovered from.
What the new Myspace will look like
The revamped platform is being built with both returning users and a younger audience in mind.
The owners have confirmed that several features from the original will return, including fully customisable profiles, the Top 8 Friends list and the signature profile song.
Furthermore, the new Myspace is also expected to feature a chronological news feed, meaning posts will appear in the order they are published rather than being sorted by an algorithm.
That approach is a direct response to widespread frustration with how current platforms prioritise content.
Whether the relaunch can win back former loyalists while also attracting users who never experienced the original remains an open question, but the owners appear willing to keep trying until something sticks.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
Reporting originally appeared via TUKO. Read the full source for additional context.