Justin Bieber fans have once again been fooled by a fake Twitter campaign, though this time the consequences are of a more serious nature. As reported by NME, recent photographs posted by TMZ of Bieber smoking a blunt inspired 4Chan’s notorious message board /b/ to create the hashtags #cutforbieber and #cuttingforbieber.
According to Complex, although the hashtags began as a joke, young fans latched onto the Twitter trend and began to self-harm as a form of protest against Bieber smoking marijuana. Gossip Cop reports that the campaign began with fake images of people cutting themselves, but before long legitimate photographs of people actually self-harming emerged online.
In a previous prank back in October, 2012 4Chan duped Bieber fans with a fake cancer scare that led to some fans shaving their heads in a show of support. In regards to Bieber being photographed smoking a blunt, the young pop star posted a tweet explaining that everyday is a learning experience.
everyday growing and learning. trying to be better. u get knocked down, u get up.
— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) January 5, 2013
