Teen pop sensation Justin Bieber rose to fame at a pace that would have been unthinkable only ten years ago. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by a talent agent who saw the then-14-year-old’s YouTube videos. In the three short years that have passed since Bieber was discovered on YouTube, his music videos have become some of the most-viewed on YouTube. Bieber has sold millions of records and earned countless awards and nominations, including two Grammy nods. But is Bieber’s sudden fame deserved?

According to the Huffington Post, Bieber was the first person to get over 2 billion views on YouTube. Despite this staggering amount of views, feedback on Bieber’s music videos is often negative. The music video for Bieber’s song “Baby” has over 650 million views, but it also has almost 2 million dislikes.

Bieber is a polarizing figure. His boyish looks and oft-overplayed songs garner a lot of negativity, especially on the Internet. The comments on his YouTube videos are usually filled with arguments between die-hard Bieber fans and “trolls” who make rude comments about Bieber’s music or appearance. Occasionally a commenter will attempt to be the voice of reason. One such commenter on the “Baby” music video said, “guys don’t hate on [Justin]. he’s just a kid trying to make a living. imagine you were him, having a hard life being_ trolled by people