There was a time when people just gave out phone numbers. Then it was screen names. Now, stylized communication is reaching unprecedented heights.

“Add me on MySpace.” These are four words you’re sure to become acquainted with. While FaceBook is restricted to college students, MySpace is open to anyone, easy to use, and often quite addictive. All you need is an email address and half the battle is over. Although that makes things pretty easy, the downside is that absolutely no one has to be who they say they are.

Each user on MySpace has an individual website where they can post pictures, videos, bulletins, journal entries, and other trivial, yet amusing, features. When you check his/her page, you can view all of his/her friends. This creates a bridge between all of your friends and all of theirs’. A couple bridges and you got a full-fledged “social network.” MySpace boasts twenty-seven million users.

While the anonymity of MySpace sounds like it has some potential (for example, pretending to be a friend of yours, if it’s all in good fun), it can also be pretty creepy. There are no age restrictions or any kind of picture verification, which allows for anyone to start a conversation with a thirteen-year old girl after mentioning a mutual friend and finding a picture of a “cute guy” on Google.

While becoming MySpace friends is a mutual agreement, as both users have to agree to it, you can send anyone on MySpace a message to their inbox. It is an endlessly entertaining service but it has some dangerous problems.

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