Most of us do not even remember our MySpace passwords. We are powerless to change the ridiculous attempts at original expression or embarrassing high school photos that make up our old profiles. They remain as a shrine to the awkward years we wish we could forget. As we have moved on from those unfortunate years of puberty, so has the world moved on from the hype that was MySpace.

While MySpace is now struggling to carve out its own niche independent from its biggest competitor, Facebook, it is failing to tap into what Facebook has understood for years, and what the American people want. MySpace has always given its users flashy, customizable layouts with access to popular entertainment. Unfortunately, it has increasingly failed to to provide simple, efficient tools to connect people, a weakness Facebook was able to exploit, granting them the lead in the social networking arena.

It is no wonder MySpace announced it would be laying off nearly 500 of its 1,100 employees earlier this week. The coming downsizing may be a precursor to a sale of the site by News Corp., according to The New York Times. The demise of MySpace has been a long time coming. According to The New York Times, MySpace lost nine million users in the last year, a loss that is part of a downward trend.

Enter Facebook in 2005, the same year News Corp. first purchased MySpace. It did not take long for Facebook to become the preferred social networking site among young people, and eventually people of all ages in America.

While Facebook was innovating and meeting the demands of its user base, MySpace lagged behind. Instead of focusing on ease of use and networking tools, MySpace attempted to combine social networking with entertainment, offering special accounts for musicians and filmmakers, and flooding the website with high-end advertisements.

In an age when Americans are embracing organic diets and energy efficient cars, Facebook rode the momentum of a growing philosophy that simple and easy is better. MySpace, clinging to the outdated idea that users want innumerable options and full customization, was left in the dust.

Head to MySpace.com today and you will be greeted by an epileptic display of advertisements for new movies and rap albums. A navigation bar lets you choose between music, games, TV, movies and other entertainment choices. The option to sign up for an account or log in is understated and shunted off to the side of the display. The MySpace slogan, which used to be “a place for people,” is now “social entertainment.” It is hard to imagine that this website used to be the place for social networking.

Now switch gears, and pull up Facebook.com. You will be presented by a simple, clean login page with no advertisements whatsoever. If you want to sign up for an account, there is no need to click to another page; the entire form is already there for you. It is easy to use, and easy to look at. Facebook designers know what you want, and do not make you work to get it.

Facebook represents a new form of minimalism taking hold in America that embraces simplicity and efficiency without abandoning classic American materialism.

Yes, we want the latest phone. But we want the slim, easy to use, lightweight smartphone that lets us read e-mail, answer phone calls and follow our favorite YouTube channels — all while walking to class. Facebook offers a simple, uncluttered way to network that is constantly evolving to meet the needs of its users.

Many people complain about the regular layout changes; I would maintain there has never been a change on Facebook that has made it harder to use or less attractive. Just like the smartphone industry and the automobile industry, Facebook designs every new model to be sleeker, more reliable, and more efficient.

Some say Facebook will eventually go the way of MySpace and fade from the public consciousness. But as they say in iPhone commercials, when you want to check your Facebook on the go, “there’s an app for that.” Is there an app for mobile MySpace? I do not know and honestly cannot be bothered to find out.