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Thursday, November 6, 2014
How Twitter Made #AlexFromTarget A Teen Idol
Photo of Alex Laboeuf that went viral this week and inspired the #alexfromtarget meme (@auscalum).
Just how do things go viral? Sixteen-year-old Alex Laboeuf is certainly asking himself that question these days.
The relatively unknown Target employee from Frisco, Texas became the subject of a widespread teenage craze when someone posted his picture on Twitter.
He was just bagging at the checkout counter, but now he has more than 600,000 Twitter followers, has appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and has his very own viral hashtag, #AlexFromTarget. So, how did it all happen?
Was it just a Target marketing campaign?
To find out, Here & Now‘s Robin Young spoke with Andrew Lih, professor of journalism at American University and author of “The Wikipedia Revolution.”
Video: Alex on the Ellen DeGeneres Show
Guest
- Andrew Lih, professor of journalism at American University and author of “The Wikipedia Revolution.” He tweets @fuzheado.
Other stories from Thursday's show
- Scientists Develop New Ways To Tailor Cancer Treatment
- Beyond The Ballot: Tuesday’s Winners And Losers
- Remembering The Battle Of Fallujah
- French Authorities Investigate Drones Sighted Over Nuclear Reactors
- What The Midterms Could Mean For The Economy
- Wolf Spotted In Grand Canyon Could Be Gray Wolf
- Celebrating John Philip Sousa’s 160th Birthday
- Ray Rice Seeks NFL Reinstatement
- Pale Male Still The Bird King Of Central Park
- President Obama Requests $6 Billion To Fight Ebola
- How Twitter Made #AlexFromTarget A Teen Idol
- Sierra Leone Struggles To Cope With Ebola Outbreak
- Republicans Won More Of Latino Vote: What Will That Mean For Immigration Reform?
- Full Rundown
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