Bieber Fever
That Canadian tween singing sensation Justin Bieber has gone from obscurity to levels of adulation reminiscent of the Beatles' arrival on North American shores is testament to the power of new media platforms. Bieber was discovered on YouTube, and has more than 6.2 million followers on Twitter — at one point, a full 3% of the service's global traffic was devoted to the 16-year-old heartthrob. With Bieber fever going viral among tween girls this year, it became newsworthy when this new kid on the block made a cameo appearance on CSI, got a tattoo or was simply in the news (think "TIME Lists Bieber in Top 10 Overreported Stories"). There's no denying Bieber's reach. But we'll soon find out whether the Coiffed One has the right stuff. His voice has already begun to crack, and stubble should be on the way. Then again, that too could become an overreported story.