The Viral-Video-Microcelebrity-Industrial Complex; or, Making Money Off the Bus Lady Video [The Internet]

On June 19, a YouTube user by the name of “CapitalTrigga” uploaded a video of a gang of middle school students harassing bus monitor Karen Klein. He sent links to local news stations, and school authorities, according to a Reddit thread he posted in soon after. Just a couple days later, thanks to popular posts on Reddit, the video was playing on every major TV network in America. Thousands of dollars in donations poured into an online fundraiser for Karen Klein, the video’s beleagured star. More »