Clout-chasing on the internet is an extreme sport, that’s a given. But each day, online influencers, celebs, and internet denizens just keep inventing ways to surprise us. Cue Justin Bieber posting a photo on Instagram with the promise to release a new album if he reaches 20 million likes. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4I-sZonM2R/

The backlash for this post came almost immediately upon non-Bieber stans discovering it on Instagram and Twitter. A lot even compared this issue with Rita Ora’s alleged PR stunt promising a new song if her tweet gets 100,000 retweets. She later deleted the tweet and cited a hacker threatening to release her music early through Twitter.

Read more: Did an Ariana Grande album just leak?

Though, if you think about it, it’s not uncommon for content creators to produce output that heavily relies on the ‘like’ or ‘favorite’ metric. But then, Bieber makes enough money to produce what he wants without having to fear losing his house or investments by quickly fading into internet obscurity. Such is the security of mainstream fame, so it makes one wonder why this stunt was necessary. Uhm, 20 million likes? More like 20 million yikes.

Still from “The Feeling”