### Chapter 7: The Digital Surge
The calendar ticked forward to April 16, 2009, a Thursday bathed in the soft haze of an Atlanta spring. Justin Drew Bieber, still 15 years old, stood at the epicenter of a storm he'd ignited, his fame swelling like a tidal wave across the nascent digital landscape. The date was precise—April 16, 2009—and the location, a bustling recording studio in Atlanta, Georgia, thrummed with the energy of a teenager rewriting the rules of stardom. The Ascension System glowed in his mind, its latest metrics pulsing from the rooftop YouTube stream six days prior: *Fame: 87% Aligned. Universe Influence: 60%. Versatility: 100% Showcased.* The world was watching, and social media—raw and wild in 2009—was fanning the flames.
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#### The Morning After
Justin woke in the penthouse, sprawled across a couch where he'd crashed after a late-night debrief with Scooter Braun. The clock read 9:17 a.m., and sunlight slanted through the blinds, glinting off a skateboard propped against the wall—a relic of his April 10 stream. His phone buzzed incessantly, a cheap BlackBerry Curve vibrating with notifications. The *Intelligence* attachment—still sharp at +40%—kicked in, urging him to check the damage. Or, rather, the triumph.
He flicked on the screen, bleary-eyed, and dove into the chaos. YouTube, Twitter, MySpace—the platforms of 2009, clunky but potent—were erupting. The Ascension System chimed: *Social Media Impact: 65% and Climbing. Public Appeal: 90%.* Malachi's old soul, the barista who'd scrolled X in 2025, marveled at the primitive frenzy. This wasn't the polished TikTok era; it was raw, unfiltered, and *his*.
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#### Social Media Ignites
**YouTube:** The rooftop stream—"Justin Bieber Live: One Time + More!"—had ballooned to 1.2 million views in six days. Comments flooded in, a mix of caps-lock hysteria and grainy emojis from the platform's early emoticon set:
- "OMG JUSTIN UR VOICE IS EVERYTHING 😍🎤🔥"
- "That dance move at 2:14 tho!! 🕺💃👏"
- "SKATEBOARDING AND SINGING?? MARRY ME 😭❤️"
The video's like-to-dislike ratio was a landslide—98% thumbs up—and Braun had texted at 3 a.m.: "We're trending #1 in Music, JB. You broke the damn site." The system logged: *Digital Reach: 70%.*
**Twitter:** Launched just three years prior, Twitter was a wildfire in 2009, and Justin's handle—@JustinBieber, snagged by Braun in 2007—was its hottest spark. His follower count had spiked from 50,000 to 150,000 overnight, fueled by the stream. Tweets poured in, 140-character bursts with emojis cribbed from early Unicode:
- "@JustinBieber u killed it last night bro 😎🎸 #OneTime"
- "Crying rn @JustinBieber ur so perfect 🥰🎶💖"
- "@JustinBieber skateboarding is 🔥🔥 who knew?? #BieberFever"
The hashtag #BieberFever, coined by a fan in the stream's chat, trended worldwide—crude analytics pegged it at 20,000 mentions by noon. Justin smirked, typing a reply: "Thx for the love! More coming soon 😉🎤" The system tagged: *Engagement: 85%.*
**MySpace:** The elder statesman of social media, still clinging to relevance in 2009, was Justin's original launchpad. His page—decked with a purple background and "One Time" on auto-play—saw a comment surge. Fans left glitter-text rants:
- "Justin u r my WORLD 🌟🎵 xoxo"
- "That stream was LIFE-CHANGING 😭🙌"
- "Ur dance moves r SICK bro 😎✨"
Profile visits hit 300,000 in a week, and friend requests maxed out the system's 5,000 cap. Braun called it "MySpace's last gasp"—Justin was its swan song.
**Facebook:** Less dominant than today, Facebook in 2009 was a rising star, and Justin's fan page—managed by Braun's team—exploded. Posts about the stream racked up likes (the "Like" button was new, rolled out in February):
- "Justin Bieber's live stream was insane! 😍🎤 Who's with me?" (12K likes, 3K comments)
- "This kid's gonna rule the world 🌍🔥" (8K likes)
The system noted: *Cross-Platform Dominance: 60%.*
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#### Apps on the Rise
Social media wasn't alone in 2009's digital boom. Apps were clawing their way into relevance, and Justin's team pounced. **iTunes**, the music juggernaut, saw "One Time" climb to #10 on its charts, downloads surging post-stream. Braun pushed a ringtone version—peak 2009 vibes—and it sold 50,000 in days. *Wealth: $1.7M,* the system updated.
**Flickr**, the photo-sharing app, hosted fan-snapped shots of the rooftop setup—grainy, candid, Justin mid-ollie or mid-note. They tagged him, and Braun's intern uploaded pro shots, amassing views. **BlackBerry Messenger (BBM)** buzzed among his crew, Braun pinging: "You're a brand now, JB. Keep it rolling." Even **AIM**—AOL's instant messenger—lit up with fan groups, screen names like "BieberBae15" gushing: "he's so hot omg 😍🎶."
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#### The Day's Grind
By 11 a.m., Braun dragged Justin to a radio interview at Hot 107.9, Atlanta's hip-hop pulse. The DJ, a dreadlocked guy named Reggie, leaned into the mic: "Justin Bieber in the house! That stream, man—1.2 million views? You're 15, how's it feel?" Justin, *Charisma: Active*, flashed a grin. "Crazy, bro. Just doing my thing—singing, dancing, skating. More's coming." *Intelligence* kept him sharp—he plugged *My World*, dodged personal questions, and won Reggie over. The system tagged: *Media Reach: 68%.*
At 2 p.m., a Seventeen Magazine shoot proof dropped—glossy stills of Justin in a leather jacket, smirking. Fans on Twitter lost it: "@JustinBieber UR SO HOT IN THIS PIC 😍🔥 #PrinceOfPop." The *Modeling* trait glowed: *Visual Impact: 90%.*
Usher texted at 4 p.m.: "Saw the stream, JB. Let's link—studio vibes?" Justin's *Perception* flagged the undertone—*Envy: 35%*—and he replied, "Busy, man. Soon." *Trust: 15%.* Diddy emailed again—another party invite, ignored. *Influence: 66%,* the system warned, but Justin shrugged. "Clowns," he muttered, strumming his guitar.
Pattie hovered at dinner, a takeout pizza between them. "You're everywhere, JB," she said, voice tight. *Stress: 82%.* He squeezed her hand. "We're good, Mom. I've got this." *Resilience: Supporting.*
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#### The System's Next Move
That night, April 16, 2009, Justin sprawled on the penthouse balcony, Atlanta's skyline a constellation of ambition. The system flared: *Mission Progress: Dominance 20%, Threats 10% Neutralized.* Then, a curveball: *New Task: Amplify Presence. Objective: Leverage Social Media Surge, Secure a Major Collab. Deadline: May 15. Reward: +10% Fame, Leadership Preview Boosted to +40%.*
He grinned, mind racing. Twitter was his weapon—#BieberFever was gold. He'd tease *My World*, drop snippets, maybe live-tweet a session. The collab? Tricky Stewart was in; he'd push for Rihanna—big, bold, a power move. *Intelligence: Plotting.*
Social media roared below—YouTube comments, Twitter emojis (😍🔥🎤), MySpace glitter. *Fame: 89%.* At 15, on April 16, 2009, Justin Bieber—Malachi reborn—wasn't just rising. He was rewriting the digital age, one emoji at a time.