Oh boy. Here’s a case where the digital age and the fact that we are always plugged in shows its seams and its negative effect on millennials. Several Justin Bieber fans shaved their heads in a show of support for the singer, believing he had been diagnosed with cancer. The catch? He’s not sick.
Turns out, according to TechCrunch, that users at web board 4Chan are the culprits. They Photoshopped everything and none of the photos or the info were real, but they successfully preyed on vulnerable Beliebers. 4chan showed its “power” and the gullible nature of Beliebers using the photo editing software to fake tweets from official and verified Twitter accounts about Bieber suffering from cancer and asking Beliebers to shave their heads to show support. The info went viral quickly, and Beliebers responded, springing to action … or did they?
It proves that you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the web, since the Biebs does not have the disease, andBillboard reports that very few, if any, Beliebers bought the story.
Fans that didn’t shave their heads flooded Twitter with support, using the #baldforbieber hashtag, and it’s all on a lark.
Entertainment Tonight’s Twitter account posted this note: “Pop Star Justin Bieber was diagnosed with cancer earlier this morning. Bieber fans are shaving their heads to show their support.”
There was even a photo of the singer himself, thanking everyone for their support and sharing images of bald Beliebers. Sharing and direct interaction with fans is typical behavior of Biebs on Twitter, so we’re not shocked that some of his young fans “bought it” and bought in.
The now-bald Beliebers learned a cheap lesson: A tweet is not the Gospel. For any Beliebers that “beliebed” the hoax? We do applaud them for their steadfast dedication, but do your homework!
Watch Video of the #baldforbieber Campaign
Watch Video of the #baldforbieber Campaign
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