Talk of a Myspace comeback has sparked nostalgia for a more customizable, personal, and relational version of the internet. This article reflects on why that longing may reveal something deeper: our God-given desire for rest, meaningful...



I miss my friend Tom.

And if some of the articles I’m reading lately are any indication, I’m not alone.

Why Are People Talking about a Myspace Comeback?
I’m talking about Tom from MySpace. The guy decked out in the white T, turning from his computer, cheesing for the camera. He was, by default, everybody’s friend on MySpace.

And lately, I’ve found myself missing that version of the internet.

I don’t know that I miss MySpace. Though I confess I’d like to check out my old page—I’m sure it was ridiculous. I don’t think I miss being assaulted by Panic! At the Disco just because I clicked on a friend’s page. But I do miss the clanky customization.

The internet felt different then. And I think many of us are longing for that kind of internet experience again. But what we’re really longing for goes back way further than the early 2000’s…it goes back to a Garden.

What Does it Mean to Be Human?
This is going to feel like I’m getting really deep and philosophical here. I don’t want you to skip over this section because it sounds like nerd talk—so let me tell you why I’m saying what I am here.

I think God created each of us in His image for a very specific purpose. And I think we’ve largely made a shipwreck of that. And yet those desires which God created with us are still there in shattered remnants. And I think they inform things that we don’t even give much thought to. In other words, I think this feeling of “Man, I wish we had something like MySpace again” reveals something pretty big. Let me explain.

The way I like to phrase this is that God created us for rest, rule, and relationship. You can see it in the Garden of Eden.

The Garden itself is the place of shalom. The place where you can take a deep breath and say, “All is well.” It’s the rest that you and I keep striving for.

But Adam was also created with purpose. He was tasked with working and keeping the Garden. He was to image God. He was to name things. In a word, he had a job to do. That resides in our hearts in the fact that you and I want to live a life of meaning. We all want our lives to count for something.

But we also want to do all of that in the context of a relationship. God created Adam to have a meaningful connection with Himself. But He also gave him a suitable helper. He was supposed to connect with other people. To spread the glory of God by being fruitful and multiplying across the globe—and then to perfectly relate to other creatures.

As we know, the story of the Bible is that Adam and Eve made a rebellious and boneheaded decision by listening to the serpent and trying to grasp rest, rule, and relationship apart from God’s hand. They “took” and ate. Grabby goobers. And we’ve all followed suit since then.

But none of that means that those desires for rest, rule, and relationship died. They just get distorted…and even deadly. Which means that we create things for ourselves, trying to get back to the Garden—trying to find rest, rule, and relationship again. But it always fails, and we always end up twisting things up.

So what does it mean to be human?

It means that we’re creatures made for rest, rule, and relationship. As those made in God’s image, we’re glory reflectors. We want a place where we belong. We want a life that has meaning and purpose. And we want to know and be known by other people.

That means if you want a more human internet, then it’s going to center around these longings.

Graphic about how God created us for rest, rule, and relationship

What Would a More Human Internet Actually Look Like?
Let’s think about how rest, rule, and relationship relate to what the internet does and should look like.

Start with rest. Remember, I don’t mean “go take a nap”. Though naps are pretty sweet. When the Bible talks about rest, it’s talking about something much deeper. It’s referring to a place, really. And a place where you are home. It’s belonging.

Where are you when you are scrolling Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or other platforms? You’re not really anywhere. You’re moving through an endless stream of disconnected things. Sure, you can click on someone’s profile. You can get to their “home”. But do we? Usually not. We’re just endlessly consuming ads, wars, cats falling off ladders, and people arguing about whatever the rage of the day is.

There’s no end point. No place. No rest.

And I think that’s why we get a little excited about the thought of MySpace coming back. Space. MY space. It’s a home again. A place that you can decorate, pick your song (please not Panic! At the Disco), write your About Me, and make everyone but eight of your friends question their relationship to you. But it was yours.

MySpace gave us somewhere to go. The feed gives us somewhere to keep going.

Now think about rule. Again, I don’t mean that you were created to boss everyone around. When the Bible talks about rule, it’s talking about meaningful work. Adam had a garden to keep. He had stuff to name. He was cultivating the gift of life and place that God had given him. Human beings make things. We arrange things. We build, choose, create, and shape the little corner of the world God has given us.

MySpace was clunky and somewhat limited. But you could do some of that creating. You figured out just enough HTML to move something three inches to the left. You could bedazzle the whole thing with glitter and have death metal playing in the background. Create what you want.

Try doing that on the internet today.

How Do Algorithms Make the Internet Feel Less Human?
You open the app, and the algorithm goes to work. It watches you in the background like one of those side-eyeing salesmen at the office supply store. And it tries to sell you something. It rearranges the world into what it thinks you want. It’s incredibly personal and yet dehumanizing at the same time.

You don’t cultivate; you consume.

Finally, there is relationship.

Is social media even really all that concerned with the social anymore? You can spend an hour on social media without interacting with a single person you actually know. We were created to know and be known. First by God, but also by other people.

The biblical vision of relationship isn’t something that any iteration of the internet can create. But can it foster it? Can it create a context that puts a premium on relationships? It could.

And I think that’s another way in which the excitement about a relaunch of MySpace is telling. There was something about that version of the internet and social media that was better for cultivating relationships. At its peak, it was about creating your profile and your network of friends. Your page was essentially a shared space.

Think of what it looked like to get on MySpace. You logged in, saw what your friends were doing, went to a particular person’s page, and interacted with that person. It allowed, at least in part, the ability to know and be known.

Compare that to what it looks like now. You open the app, receive what the algorithm thinks you want, you react or keep scrolling, the platform learns from that action, ads get inserted here and there, rinse and repeat…never reaching the end.

I’m not saying that MySpace was the perfect version of what the internet ought to be. Far from it. But it was at least a bit more human. And I think tons of people are longing for that kind of internet experience.

So what does a more human internet look like?

It’s one that helps us inhabit a place rather than endlessly pass through it. It would give us something meaningful to cultivate instead of just feeding us more and more to consume. We’d find a way to leverage technology to actually help us move toward people, rather than just turning people into content.

In other words, it’d put a premium on rest, rule, and relationship. It’d treat us as makers, not just consumers. (And no, most content creation isn’t actually creation—it’s kissing up to the algorithm to get paid). It would prioritize beauty. It would help to find our similarities rather than divide us by our differences. Stuff like this.

But I’m not confident it’ll ever happen…and I don’t think a new MySpace will be the answer.

Why Won’t a Relaunched Myspace Fully Restore What We Long For?
I’m kind of hoping they do relaunch MySpace. I might sign up. I’d love to see somebody take a real shot at making the internet a little more like it used to be. (Do I sound old?) Honestly, I’d love to see somebody with a passion for rest, rule, and relationship try to build something that fosters exactly those things.

But let’s not kid ourselves. MySpace isn’t going to take us back to Eden.

That’s really the story of the Bible, isn’t it? All of our attempts to try to get shalom, to find a purpose, and to restore relationship with God and one another, ultimately ends in failure. We might start with a good platform that inches towards some of these things, but then our fallen humanity gets in the way. We sell out a little for the sake of some ads. We value the wrong stuff. Our pride gets in the way of being known. On and on.

The problem with the internet isn’t the internet. It’s that it is our internet. It’s a reflection of us. And rather than building rest, rule, and relationship, we shipwreck it.

But the good news of the gospel is that Jesus doesn’t. In fact, those are the very things that Jesus has restored and is restoring in full. He gives a place to the homeless. He gives purpose to the restless. He devotes Himself to relationship with us and restores our relationship with others. He’s making all things new.

In other words, our deepest longing isn’t actually for a more human internet. It’s to be restored. And that only comes through Christ.

That doesn’t mean we shrug our shoulders and don’t bother with building stuff like this, though. That’s part of what we’re called to do while we’re here in exile.

How Can Christians Build Better Digital Spaces?
Christians ought to be among the people asking better questions about the spaces we create and inhabit. Can we build places that encourage rest rather than endless consumption? Can we make tools that give people room to create instead of merely react? Can we design online spaces that actually help people move toward one another, rather than turning everyone into content?

Maybe a new MySpace can be used for those very things.

Frequently Asked Questions about Myspace, Social Media, and a More Human Internet
Why are people nostalgic for Myspace?
Many people miss the customization, personality, profile pages, music, and friend-centered feel that made Myspace seem more personal than today’s endless feeds.

What does a more human internet mean?
A more human internet would help people belong, create, and build real relationships instead of simply consuming algorithm-driven content.

How does the Bible help us understand our online longings?
Scripture teaches that human beings are made in God’s image for rest, purpose, and relationship, which means even our digital longings can point to deeper spiritual needs.

Can a relaunched Myspace fix social media?
No platform can fully restore what sin has broken, though Christians can still work to build online spaces that are more relational, creative, truthful, and humane.

What should Christians ask about digital spaces?
Christians should ask whether digital spaces encourage rest, creativity, truth, community, love for others, and movement toward God rather than endless consumption.

Source