Inside The Weird World Of Justin Bieber Micro-gossip

Internet fandom has existed since the dawn of the internet. But Justin Bieber’s fans have pioneered a strange new form: Justin Bieber micro-gossip, which painstakingly chronicles the obscure controversies and characters only a true Belieber can follow.

First, a pop quiz: What was the Justin Bieber iChat scandal of June, 2010?

A true Belieber would know all about the big iChat scandal: A screenshot purporting to show a 19-year-old girl flashing Bieber on iChat shot through the Biebersphere a few weeks ago. The girl was identified by Bieber micro-gossips, and she’s since become something of a an anti-hero among the Beliebers: the (older) slut who tried to seduce their boy king.

Justin Bieber micro-gossip items lie somewhere between classic Teenbeat drivel and fan fiction. They are stories about Justin, but grounded in real people with real Twitter accounts. Usually, they’re backed up with some scrap of evidence – a screenshot, for example – that gets passed around along with the story. These stories form a miniature universe of fandom: at the centre is Justin, and in concentric rings around him: Justin’s childhood friends – “The Stratty Boys” – his potential love interests and the thousands of Beliebers fighting to prove they love Justin the most.

After spending some hours immersed in the frothy hot tub of Bieber micro-gossip, we can break down the stories into three major categories:

Girls trying to date Justin

Bieber micro-gossips like to push the idea that a fan is just one Twitter message away from a date with Justin. One of the most well-known is the girl who, legend has it, actually went on a date with Bieber in Los Angeles. But she got cocky and lost it all. Writes BieberHeiress:

They went out to dinner and movie. Simple as that. Yet she took it upon herself to spread rumours that Justin tried to literally get in her pants and do some stuff that no Mama would be proud of. Hmm.

Justin Bieber’s Twitter

Bieber’s hyperactive Twitter account is the subject of endless speculation among tween Bieber micro-gossips. A Belieber is sustained by the hope of being followed by and receiving a direct message from Justin on Twitter. And, if they are to be believed, this happens more frequently than you might think. The Bieber micro-gossip site BieberHeiress posted this series of messages Justin allegedly sent to a fan, who freaked out after her friends told them they were at a party with him:

Rumours of Justin’s “secet” Twitter account abound: “Justin Bieber has a secret Twitter… :)” Tweets JBFansUnite, “& I know what it is. There’s even proof” A Belieber would not even dare to dream of being followed by this account.

Rival Justin Bieber Factions

Justin Bieber factions with names like Bieberswomen andLegalbiebers battle it out on Twitter and blogs to prove their love for Justin. An enemy recently hacked BieberHeiress, the gossip site, leaking alleged direct messages from Justin scolding the authors of the blog for writing lies about him. When the Bieber iChat scandal broke, Bieberinmypants called out those Beliebers obsessing over the screenshot: “I understand that most of the beliebers are pissed that she flashed ‘their man’ but honestly get over it. It’s in the past nothing can be done about it, so don’t bitch at her about it.”

Micro-gossip is a weird new form of fandom. For Justin Bieber, it’s also a lucrative one. The same enormous networks of Beliebers who send the latest Justin story flying around Twitter also organise massive “buyouts”, wherein dozens of tweens descend on a shopping centre and buy their entire stock of Bieber paraphernalia to donate to charity. Their complete immersion in the Bieber universe motivates them to consume.

JBfansunite explains why he hates buyouts:

A Bieber fan plans a local buyout spreads the word, makes random twitions [Twitter petitons] & plans it on a day when Justin is in there town for a concert, in high hopes he will show up… People aren’t doing this out of the goodness in their heart for hurting kids. They are doing it in order to get to Justin.