It remains to be see how exactly Justin Bieber fans will utilize free photo-sharing application Instagram to terrorize non-Beliebers, but we'll probably soon find out.
The Twitter-ruling pop star tweeted his first Instagram pic — a rather pedestrian snap of Los Angeles traffic — and Instagram's servers blew up like they just talked smack about LulzSec's mama, reports TechCrunch. What resembled a DDoS attack turned out to be an invasion from a Bieber battalion, all clicking on a picture of cars manipulated into the old-timey Kodak/Polaroid look that is Instagram's charm.
At one point Thursday evening, Bieber's Instagram account received about 50 followers a minute, and one comment every 10 seconds on his picture, Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom told TechCrunch. As of Friday afternoon, more than 5,000 followed Bieber's Instagram — nothing compared to his 11 million Twitter followers — but once news spreads, Instagram's 5 million membership will rapidly rise.
Kids whose parents are barely old enough to have posed for photos rendered as a perfect square will now know en masse the fun of the iPhone and iPad app, using filters that simulate the fuzzy exposure and blurring edges unknown to today's digital shots.
Let's review: Bieber reportedly accounted for 3 percent of all Twitter traffic last year, with his account averaging around 24,000 new followers a day.
It's on Twitter where Bieber's followers mobilize whenever they perceive an injustice against their icon. Kim Kardashian, Selena Gomez, Greg Leuch (the dude who made Shaved Bieber, the Firefox extension that blocks Bieber on the Internet), that one girl who foolishly tore up the Justin Bieber poster and a police officer who possibly touched Bieber at a recent appearance in New York City have all been targets of Twitter rage.
If tweets could kill, the Bieber army would be one potty-mouthed killing machine. Like locusts they descended on Wikipedia when Esperanza Spalding foolishly beat out Bieber for the "Best New Artist" Grammy. Just imagine how creative these kids can get with a photo-sharing app!
More on the annoying way we live now:
- Justin Bieber's 'attacker' dead ... if tweets could kill
- Bieber fans go on Grammy-fueled Wikipedia rampage
- Teen survives Justin Bieber-inspired death threats
Helen A.S. Popkin goes blah blah blah about the Internet. Tell her to get a real job on Twitter and/or Facebook ... and see if you can find her on Google+. She triple-dog dares you!