Just a few weeks ago, a new music video went viral on the Internet in the form of Rebecca Black’s “Friday.” 13-year-old Black wakes up in the morning, gets her bowl of cereal and heads down to the bus stop when her friends drive up to her house. While deliberating which seat she should choose, her friends are already excited for her to hop in, so they can continue and drive on the highway. These eighth graders are clearly getting ready for the weekend, but most importantly, Friday.

What started as a debut song released on February 10, now has upwards of 38 million views. She replaced Charlie Sheen from trending topics on Twitter, surpassed Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars and Mumford & Sons on iTunes (her song is currently number 31 on iTunes’ top 100 singles chart), and the automatic update of comments on her video could possibly crash my computer. Though everyone now knows the 13-year-old from Orange County, California, Yahoo immediately wondered if “Friday” is the worst song ever.

Prior to her fame, Black performed musical theater, was part of an ensemble and partook in talent shows and vocal lessons. A friend told her about Ark Music Factory, a record label that could help her “gain real-world experience in her chosen profession,” according to her first interview with The Daily Beast.

After a casting call, Black was asked to record two songs the label heads had written, and after paying $2,000, the company produced a video to “Friday.” Contrary to popular belief, Black did not have a part in writing the thought-provoking lyrics, “Yesterday was Thursday, Thursday, Today is Friday, Friday…Tomorrow is Saturday, and Sunday comes afterwards.”

The heavily Auto-Tuned song is widely hated, even though those who heard the song once know all the words. Some wondered if the video was a parody. When I first watched the song, I couldn’t fathom a reaction. Is this what we consider music nowadays? Heavily processed voices and green screens? More importantly, why are these 13-year-olds going to a house party?

It seems to be a pattern: whenever someone gains instant fame and success, a thousand or so online users hide behind their anonymity and write, quite frankly, incredibly mean words. And Rebecca Black is certainly no exception.

On a Good Morning America interview, Black said that one of the harshest attacks made directly towards her told her to “cut herself,” “get an eating disorder so she can look pretty” and “die.” But are repetitive lyrics and a cheesy music video enough to generate these vicious comments?

After watching the GMA interview, I was in shock, but not just at the comments mentioned but also at the reporter, Andrea Canning. She read out loud some of the vicious words directly to Black, who smiled and accepted the hate. Canning then asked if Black cries after hearing the words. Next, she asked Black to sing a couple of lines from the National Anthem— and quite honestly, her voice sounded great without the Auto-Tune—and then asked, “Do you think you’re a good singer?” At this point, I was disgusted that an adult, a reporter no less, was targeting Black through an interview. Clearly, anonymous YouTube users are not the only ones who are jumping on the hate bandwagon.

Whether Canning knowingly made these attacks or not is besides the question. She is just one of many who are openly mocking a girl. Maybe that’s what they are forgetting. Rebecca Black is 13 years old.

Do you remember when you were 13? The awkwardness of growing up, making friends, fitting in and trying to be “cool,” whatever that means, are hard enough. Now add millions of people telling you to kill yourself and never sing again. Black has had no choice but to simply shrug these comments off. Maybe some of us forget that Rebecca Black is just a teenager whose mom encouraged her to pursue her dreams. Is that much different from what our parents would do for us?

Personally, I’m not a fan of the incorrect grammar usage, 13-year-olds driving a convertible or the pronunciation of “Friday” as “fried egg,” but none of these were Black’s decisions. Neither is the online bullying that seems to be a package deal with her success.

On the bright side, Black has made, according to Forbes, around one million dollars in YouTube hits and iTunes sales, and she is donating the money to the Japan tsunami relief fund and her school. Moreover, Lady Gaga considers her a genius, she has met Ryan Seacrest, Bradley Cooper, Jay Leno and has been contacted by Simon Cowell, Willow Smith and Nicole Richie.

Black is certainly not on my list of favorite artists nor do I find “Friday” a particularly innovative song, but her fame has given her both the recognition from celebrities and vicious words from the Internet. In the scheme of things, Black is just 13 years old, yet her fame is attracting hatred from thousands. Does she deserve to be told to kill herself? I’m sure answers will differ, but I think some of us are blaming the song and music video on the wrong person and simply forgetting that Rebecca Black is just a kid.

To contact The Ionian’s Ranisha Singh, e-mail her at [email protected].