If you ever doubted that 4chan was where the internet’s hopes and dreams go to die, this should put them to rest. Members of the online messaging community started spreading a hoax, encouraging fans of Justin Bieber to cut themselves after the singer was caught smoking a joint.
Using fake Twitter accounts the trolls (4chan is the natural habitat of the species) started posting fake pictures in which they appeared to have been cutting themselves. This apparently got Justin Bieber fans to start cutting themselves, and posting pictures of their wounds, all in apparent bid to stop their idol enjoying a little Mary Jane.
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OMG WTF RT @/brittanyscrapma: #cutforbieber you stop using drugs and we’ll stop cutting twitter.com/brittanyscrapm…
— nigga yeol (@sexyhimchan) January 8, 2013
The hashtag #cutforbieber was a global top trending topic for some time. That said, a large portion of the activity has been from people mocking the gullibility of the “belibers” and producing spoofs around the hashtag:
#cutforbieber i can’t right now. twitter.com/CallMeMaca/sta…
— sam and eileen (@1druinsmylife) January 8, 2013
I’m a belieber. #cut4bieber #cutforbieber twitter.com/iiLUSiiONS/sta…
— SAMM. (@iiLUSiiONS) January 8, 2013
RT “@djuury: the only thing you should #cutforbieber is a piece of cake… Poor thing probably has the munches.”
— Elize Burger (@elizeburger) January 8, 2013
It’s unclear how many Bieber fans have actually harmed themselves because of the hoax.