Rebecca Black Quits Middle School After Bullying

**Waqas** · August 12, 2011

YouTube sensation Rebecca Black might have gone from anonymous California middle school student to online celebrity overnight, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t still bullied like millions of other kids.

Black’s viral song “Friday” has amassed more than 167 million views on YouTube, been parodied by celebrities and musicians and was covered on the hit show Glee. Mainstream artists like Katy Perry and Lady Gaga have given their support to Black and “Friday.” Black has even poked fun at herself and the song’s lyrics.

The song might be derided and mocked (and at Mashable, we’re certainly not immune from taking part in some of the mockery), but it’s also been one of the biggest viral sensations of 2011. Five months after the video first appeared online, 14-year-old Rebecca Black is a bona fide star.

Fame has its consequences, though. In an interview aired this week on ABC’s Nightline, Black revealed that she was forced to quit middle school because of real-world harassment. Constant bullying over the lyrics of “Friday” and harassment over her newfound fame made it impossible for Black to continue going to school. Black’s mom is now home-schooling the teen.

Teenage harassment, online and off, is a sad, if unstoppable, part of life. Although politicians, celebrities and activists are doing what they can to try to stop cyber-bullying and harassment, most of these initiatives aren’t designed to deal with the type of harassment that comes from overnight success and online fame.

Black is famous, in large part, because “Friday” is loathed and despised. It’s developed its own place in popular culture, but the reality is the song and the artist are famous because of online mockery. It would be naive to think that that online mockery — some of which crosses the line from joking and into territory that is vicious and cruel — wouldn’t have real-world consequences.

So the question becomes — is online fame worth the real-world consequences? Let us know by voting in our poll and sounding off in the comments.

Is Online Fame Worth the Offline Consequences?

More About: cyber-bullying, Friday, Rebecca Black

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