Bieber Fever is back (cue the screaming tweens!) and the bug is spreading fast. Justin Bieber has recently been performing the Purpose World Tour around the midwest where I got to attend my first ever JB concert on June 18th 2016 in Fargo, ND. It was a dream come true. My friend Ann and I arrived to the concert a solid 3 hours early to find our seats and buy our 40 dollar T-shirts. During the 5 month wait after purchasing my ticket, I prepared for the concert by opening up my middle school storage bin. I dug out my purple t-shirts, re-watched the "NeverSayNever" movie 3 times and was constantly jamming to Justin's music. My “Bieber Fever” was relentless —Is this how I felt during my pre-teen years? Ew.
In preparation (aka stalking), I noticed that Justin's new thing was that he no longer agreed to take pictures with fans. Justin took action upon this issue in an Instagram post saying “If you happen to see me out somewhere know that I’m not gonna take a picture. I’m done taking pictures. It has gotten to the point that people won’t even say hi to me or recognize me as a human I feel like a zoo animal, and I wanna be able to keep my sanity,”. Some fans didn't support Justin as well as others, leaving comments such as “the least you could do for your fans is take pictures with them” and “it’s what you signed up for.” Some going as far as making things personal calling him a “prick” and a “douche”.
Justin felt that his fans were no longer trying to get to know him but only asking for a picture to then run away without attempting to have a simple conversation. Days after his #nopicture policy release, Justin also cancelled all of his tour meet and greets. Upon hearing this for the first time you may be thinking in the words of Michelle Tanner, “how rude!” but after being in the same city and arena as Justin and thousands of his screaming fans I started to understand why he made this decision.
Now, let me be the first to say, I know that I am guilty as all get out of documenting my experience all over the internet. If you know me at all, you know I can’t do anything without putting it on my Snapchat story and have no plans to fully kick the habit any time soon. I admit it, like many of you, I am a social media addict. However, as everything started to come together, it became clearer where the Biebs was coming from. Nobody cares about the music anymore, it’s all about who can get the best selfie with him while he’s on stage or the coolest boomerang.While up on stage, he’s seeing phones where people's faces should be. If you’re lucky enough to snag front row Bieber tickets the last thing you better be doing is shoving your phone in his face while he’s trying to thank you while singing “purpose”. Now who’s being rude!
"Don't forget that I'm human, don't forget that I'm real" - Justin Bieber
While of course not all of us are constantly being hunted by the paparazzi or chased out of the grocery store by waves of selfie-snapping fan girls, we can relate to Justin. Not so much in the sense of people interrupting our everyday lives but that we are constantly taking ourselves out of reality. Our pictures aren't real, humans are. With the rise of smartphones and technology we have been treating each other more like objects than people. Justin’s human, you’re human, I’m human, we’re all human! Real relationships, experiences, and memories matter. Instead of capturing our lives on camera, why don’t we try to preserve the moment by living in it instead. The ability to feel an experience is a gift, don’t give it away.
So Justin, I feel you. Some may not understand, but your real fans do. I promise if I ever run into you on the streets of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, I’ll do nothing but smile (and probably throw up a peace sign because I’m awkward like that) and say “Hi! How are you?” like I would anyone else.
