I disliked myspace at first. Only signed up cos a couple my mates sent me a link and said do it. Did it, then promptly forgot all about it.
Then when I first moved to sydney and met some new friends one night out and we were trying to organise a night out together but none of us had pen and paper to write down numbers emails etc and my phone and their phone was dead on the battery front for exchanging numbers, and they asked did I have a myspace and told me their name on it, send them a message through there. So I did, and we used that as our main means of messaging each other for a bit.
Then others of their friends added me so when we all went out, I got to meet new people.
Slowly as I've gotten more into myspace I am quite liking it. The majority of my friends on there are people I actually know in person, not just net friends- people I knew first, then discoverd we all had myspace accounts. The rest is made up of my music favourites, and through that I am meeting people who have similar tastes in music as me, and we end up meeting up at some point at a club or event, and thus have made even more new friends. All I can say is that myspace has been an absolute blessing for me when I moved to a new city, and my only friends living in the city aren't into the same social scene as me. Sure my "myspace friends" may not ever be my best friends, but when there's something on I really want to go to, I know somebody who I can go along with.
So if it means I'm being americanized by using it as thus, then go for it. Cos it sure beats the first few months I sat around being very lonely, knowing that there were things I'd rather be at, but knowing nobody to go with.
I don't use it as a popularity thing, don't see how that can work actually- as I said, every friend on myspace of mine I either know outside of the internet, or has same interests as me and intend on meeting up at some event or night out at some point, or its a DJ/club/event I have been to and enjoyed and probably intend on going to again.
I find those ones who whore themselves out to many many strangers "oh kewwwwwl, tks 4 adding me even tho I don't know a thing about you and we have nothing in common" end up making a big grand exit anyways- "thats it, I'm over myspace, its ruining my life, goodbye!"
I just laugh.