Within a week, year-old Rebecca Black has managed to simultaneously become the most popular and the most hated person on the internet. The music video for her debut song, "Friday", has garnered about 27 million views on YouTube, while the single has rocketed into the top 20 on the iTunes charts this week - for a time ahead of Justin Bieber, who Black has already asked to join her in a duet.
The term "rebecca black" is a breakout search on Google and the number two trending topic on Twitter. Talent scout Simon Cowell told People Magazine: "I love her, the fact that she's gotten so much publicity I want to meet her". Not bad for a previously unknown artist with only one song, which many have derided as offering the worst singing and most awful lyrics of all time.
A steady stream of parody clips and US television appearances is significantly extending her five minutes of fame. But while the sheer absurdness of the song has made it a viral hit, Black is now feeling the ugly side of internet fame. She says she feels "cyberbullied" and has received death threats. In just one comment that illustrates the reaction of the web to Black's song, SFGate. It's so horrible, people are wondering whether the production is real or if it's an elaborate joke.
In an interview with Good Morning America , Black said she cried when she first saw all of the nasty comments people had written about her. And, there were some breaks in the clouds: I went on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno; I ended up on red carpets; I got to meet and work with Katy Perry who, in the midst of so much hate directed at me was nice to me in a totally non-ironic way. I will never fully understand how I became one of the first people to experience online bullying in an extremely intense way.
But I do know now that what happened to me is truly just a global extension of something that goes on in every school, on every computer screen and in every neighborhood. Today, really young kids are being targeted and it is starting earlier than it did for me.
In my life, there were people I personally knew at school and in my inner circle who verbally abused me. But then there were also complete strangers from all around the world using social media to deride me, degrade me and even worse; some people threatened my life. Social platforms can really dehumanize the targets of online abuse. Her actions were, she said, all about venting her own sadness and aiming it, sort of ethereally, at me. I can almost understand that sometimes, when someone is in pain themselves, they are not able to comprehend the level of hurt they are causing others.
People still say hateful things about me, but it happens less often these days. And, as an adult, it is easier for me to maintain a sense of perspective. Image source, Jesse Dacri. Rebecca said it was difficult to ignore the abuse after Friday went viral.
Moving on. Related Topics. Internet trolls Music. Published 6 February Published 21 August Published 19 July
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