Internet phenomena

An Internet phenomenon is a phenomenon - a person, entity, or idea - that achieves popularity primarily through the dissemination of information on the Internet. The best-known forms of Internet phenomena are the Internet meme, the Internet celebrity, and successful websites. For example, in 2006, InformationWeek described how Pierre Omidyar's creation of the website eBay, after finding a person who collected broken laser pointers, led to it becoming an "Internet phenomenon".

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Susan Boyle

Susan Magdalane Boyle (born 1 April 1961) is a Scottish singer who came to international attention when she appeared as a contestant on the TV programme Britain's Got Talent on 11 April 2009, singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Misérables. Her first album was released in November 2009 and debuted as the number one best-selling album on charts around the globe.

Boyle's initial appearance on the talent show fired public imagination when her modest stage introduction left audience, viewers and judges alike unprepared for the power and expression of her mezzo-soprano voice. Before she had finished the song's opening phrase a standing ovation for Boyle had erupted. An international media and Internet response coincided. Within nine days of the audition, videos of Boyle—from the show, various interviews and her 1999 rendition of "Cry Me a River"—had been watched over 100 million times. She eventually finished in second place on the show behind dance troupe Diversity.

Boyle's debut album, I Dreamed a Dream (2009), instantly became the UK's best-selling debut album of all time, beating the previous record held by Spirit by Leona Lewis.I Dreamed a Dream is ranked fourth in its first week sales according to the Official Chart Company in the United Kingdom. Topping the Billboard 200 for six weeks, it was the second best-selling album of 2009 in the US. In her first year of fame, Boyle made £5 million with the release of I Dreamed a Dream and its lead-off singles, "I Dreamed a Dream" and "Wild Horses". The success was continued with her second album, The Gift (2010), where she became only the third act ever to top both the UK and US album charts twice in the same year, and was followed by Boyle's third album, Someone to Watch Over Me, released on 31 October 2011. Boyle subsequently released her fourth album "Standing Ovation: The Greatest Songs from the Stage" in 2012, her fifth album "Home for Christmas" in 2013, and her sixth album "Hope" in 2014.

Rick Astley

Richard Paul Astley (/ˈrɪk ˈæstli/; born 6 February 1966) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and radio personality. His 1987 song, "Never Gonna Give You Up" was a No. 1 hit single in 25 countries. By the time of his retirement in 1993, Astley had sold approximately 40 million records worldwide.

Astley made a comeback in 2007, becoming an Internet phenomenon when his video "Never Gonna Give You Up" became integral to the meme known as "rickrolling". Astley was voted "Best Act Ever" by Internet users at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2008.

Early life

Richard Paul Astley was born on 6 February 1966 in Newton-le-Willows in Lancashire, the fourth child of his family. His parents divorced when he was five, and Astley was brought up by his father. His musical career started when he was ten, singing in the local church choir. During his schooldays, Astley formed and played the drums in a number of local bands, where he met guitarist David Morris. After leaving school at sixteen, Astley was employed during the day as a driver in his father's market-gardening business and played drums on the Northern club circuit at night in bands such as Give Way – specialising in covering Beatles and Shadows songs – and FBI, which won several local talent competitions.

Aaron Swartz

Aaron Hillel Swartz (November 8, 1986 – January 11, 2013) was an American computer programmer, entrepreneur, writer, political organizer, and Internet hacktivist. He was involved in the development of the web feed format RSS and the Markdown publishing format, the organization Creative Commons, the website framework, web.py, and the social news site, Reddit, in which he became a partner after its merger with his company, Infogami. He committed suicide while under federal indictment for data-theft, a prosecution that was characterized by his family as being "the product of a criminal-justice system rife with intimidation and prosecutorial overreach".

Swartz's work also focused on civic awareness and activism. He helped launch the Progressive Change Campaign Committee in 2009 to learn more about effective online activism. In 2010, he became a research fellow at Harvard University's Safra Research Lab on Institutional Corruption, directed by Lawrence Lessig. He founded the online group Demand Progress, known for its campaign against the Stop Online Piracy Act.