The Observer newspaper in the UK published a report indicating that Justin Bieber is more influential in the social networking sphere than Barack Obama or The Dalai Lama.[63] According to Jan Hoffman of The New York Times, part of Bieber's appeal stems from his YouTube channel. Long before he released his EP, My World, in mid-November, the YouTube videos attracted millions of views.[16] Braun recognized the appeal. Prior to flying him to Atlanta, Braun wanted to "build him up more on YouTube first" and had Bieber record more home videos for the channel. "I said: 'Justin, sing like there’s no one in the room. But let's not use expensive cameras.' We'll give it to kids, let them do the work, so that they feel like it's theirs", recalled Braun.[16] Bieber continues to upload videos to the same channel and has opened a Twitter account, from which he interacts with fans regularly;[10] his account was reported in November 2010 to have over 6 million followers.[64] Since then he has been consistently gaining followers at an average of 24,000 per day.[65]The accounts also serve marketing purposes; for example, Bieber's music video for "One Time" only began selling quickly after it was uploaded to YouTube.[66]
Usher comments that while he and Bieber were both signed at the same age, "I had the chance to ramp up my success, where this has happened to Bieber abruptly." As a result, Usher, Braun, Bieber's bodyguard Kenny, and other adults surrounding Bieber constantly coach him on handling fame and his public image.[16] After signing Bieber, Usher appointed one of his former assistants, Ryan Good, to be Bieber's road manager and stylist. Good, once nicknamed Bieber's "swagger coach", created a "streetwise look" for the singer which consisted of baseball caps, hoodies, dog chains and flashy sneakers. Amy Kaufman of The Los Angeles Times comments, "Though a product of a middle-class suburban upbringing in Stratford, Ontario, Bieber's manner of dress and speech ("Wassup man, how you doin'?" or "It's like, you know, whateva' ") suggest he's mimicking his favorite rappers."[67]
Bieber is often featured in teen magazines such as Tiger Beat,[16] and has been labeled a "teen hearthrob".[68] Bieber has released a collection of nail varnishes to raise awareness for charity.[69] Wax statues of Bieber are on display at Madame Tussauds wax museums in New York, Amsterdam and London.[70]
Hair
The longer hairstyle formerly worn by Bieber and its popularity with teenage girls proved to be cultural phenomenon, becoming one of the most copied hairstyles among teenage boys.[71] Bieber's hairstyle has also proved popular with young lesbians.[72][73]
Bieber changed his hairstyle in February 2011 and a lock of Justin Bieber's hair has been sold for $40,668 (£25,024) in a charity sale on eBay, with 98 bids in total.[74] The hair toured America with its own bodyguard, and fans could have their picture taken with it in return for a charitable donation.[75] Bieber donated the winnings to a charity which rescues and rehabilitates animals.
Religious, moral and political views
Bieber is a Christian.[76] He said he has a relationship with Jesus, talks to him and "he's the reason I'm here".[77] Bieber's comments in a February 2011 profile in Rolling Stone sparked controversy.[78] Asked whether a person should wait until marriage to have sex, Bieber responded, "I don't think you should have sex with anyone unless you love them." Asked about his opinion on abortion, Bieber said he doesn't "believe in abortion" and that it is "like killing a baby".[79] When asked about abortion in cases of rape, he said, "Well, I think that's really sad, but everything happens for a reason. I don't know how that would be a reason. I guess I haven't been in that position, so I wouldn't be able to judge that."[79] In the same interview, Bieber talked about homosexuality, stating that "It's everyone's own decision to do that. It doesn’t affect me and shouldn't affect anyone else",[80] with Rolling Stone commenting, "It is not clear whether he intended to label homosexuality as a lifestyle choice."[80] However, Bieber has also contributed to the It Gets Better Project,[81] a project started in response to the suicide of Billy Lucas, a teenager who was the target of anti-gay bullying.[82] Bieber has said he is not interested in obtaining United States citizenship, praising Canada as being "the best country in the world", citing its health care system as an example.[79] He is also a supporter of US president Barack Obama, but he does share some aspects of Sarah Palin's political views.[79]
Crowd control problems and other fan behavior
Bieber's popularity has caused safety concerns. While promoting My World, Bieber was scheduled to appear at Long Island'sRoosevelt Field Mall, but the performance had to be canceled.[83] The event got out of control, and over 35 units from theNassau County and Garden City police departments had to be summoned. Several fans received minor injuries. The police arrested an Island Records senior vice-president, James A. Roppo, reportedly for hindering the police's crowd control efforts by not sending a timely message on Twitter as instructed by the police.[83] James Roppo pleaded not guilty to all charges.[84][85] On March 24, 2010, Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun, was arrested on one count of second-degree reckless endangerment and one count of second-degree criminal nuisance related to the incident. Braun pleaded not guilty to both charges and was later released.[86] On May 6, 2011 Bieber's record company Island Def Jam Record Music Group, and his management company, Remster 3 LLC pleaded guilty to violating local fire codes in the incident while charges against Island Def Jam senior vice president James Roppo were dropped. In return for Bieber's appearance in a public service announcement against cyberbullying, two misdemeanor charges were dropped against Scooter Braun. Richard Klein, a criminal law professor at Touro Law School, said, "Legally, for him to be involved in the solution to dealing with the criminal charges against other people is extraordinary." Noah Levy, a senior news editor at the celebrity mag InTouch Weekly called the deal a "PR fantasy" for Bieber.[87]
On April 26, 2010, a scheduled promotional performance was canceled by Australian police after several girls were injured in a crowd crush. Bieber was scheduled to sing three songs for the Channel Seven program, Sunrise. In a Twitter message after the incident, Bieber said: "I want to make this clear... I don't cancel." Bieber's tweet continued, stating: "I woke up this morning to the police canceling the show for safety reasons. I'm very happy about the welcome and the love from around the world, but I want everyone to still remember my fans' safety comes first. At the end of the day I want you all to enjoy the music."[88]The incident did not deter Justin Bieber from scheduling a five-city tour in Australia, as announced on December 2010.[89]
In Liverpool, on his day off before his concert, Bieber was not allowed to step outside his hotel: he had been warned by police that he could be arrested for 'inciting a riot' if he did.[90]
Bieber's popularity among pre-teen and teenage girls, including his wide-ranging fan base colloquially known as "Beliebers", has occasionally led to some harsh criticism by his fans of other people, including personal attacks, death threats, and slanderous remarks. These are largely aimed at females with whom the press has romantically associated Bieber, most notably socialite, entrepreneur, and reality television star Kim Kardashian,[91] singer and one-time tour-mate Jasmine Villegas,[92] and actress/singer Selena Gomez.[93]
Criticism and parodies
Bieber has often been criticized for looking and sounding younger than his age, his teen-pop music, image, and frequent media attention.[94] He has been a frequent target of Internet bloggers and message boardposters—notably by users of Internet message board 4chan, users of YouTube,[95] and various Facebook groups. Pranks have included a successful campaign to push "Justin Bieber Syphilis" to the top of theGoogle Trends Hot Searches list; hacked YouTube videos that were altered to redirect users to adult websites or trigger pop-up messages saying that Bieber had been killed in a car accident; his Last.fmphotograph being changed to pornographic images; various rumors circulated, including that Bieber had died, joined a cult, or even that his mother was offered $50,000 to pose topless in Playboy magazine—none of which were true.[96] All this forced the affected companies to update their security protocols to reverse the damage, and Bieber himself tweeted to fans reassuring them that he was still living and that false rumors about his mother "just grossed and weirded [him] out".[96]
Most notable was the campaign to send Bieber to North Korea as part of his world tour (entitled My World Tour).[96] This was carried out in part by 4chan, Digg, and Reddit users voting for the country on the tour's website, for the free competition to nominate a bonus country for the tour—the second-placed country being Israel.[96] It is highly unlikely that Bieber would actually have been given permission by the North Korean government,[citation needed] or concert organizers and management, to enter the country.[96] Universal Music Group has denied any involvement in a poll that became the target of an online prank. A spokesperson for UMG told BBC News that it was a "hoax" but declined to give any further comment.[97] Nick Collins of The Daily Telegraph speculated that "Bieber's character also appears to strike a particularly sour note with his Internet critics, with many remarks commenting on his youthful appearance, his teen-pop songs, his image as a heart-throb to young teenage girls and his manner of speech".
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