Justin Bieber Started A War Among His Fans With One Instagram Post

Justin Bieber went and did it now.

The 22-year-old threatened to make his Instagram page private in a post from late Saturday night because of the "mean" comments people were making about people he likes.

And that sparked a rebellion among his fans, with some apparently perceiving his message as a betrayal to his supporters. It's clear where the battlefield is, too: the #RIPBeliebers hashtag on Twitter.

One side is in support of Justin.

Another side, apparently, is done with him.

And everyone else is just taking in the drama.

Here's the backstory.

Bieber's been hanging out with a bunch of women lately -- you know, superstar stuff. Almost every time, there was speculation of whether he was seriously dating one of them.

There was Hailey Baldwin.

Then, there was Sahara Ray, the woman he was shot swimming naked with.

Now, there's Sofia Richie, daughter of singer Lionel Richie, who Bieber decided to have a black-and-white photo shoot with on Saturday night.

The most recent of the six photos was the one that included a message to his fans, the caption reading,

I'm gonna make my Instagram private if you guys don't stop the hate this is getting out of hand, if you guys are really fans you wouldn't be so mean to people that I like.

But, some of his fans are having none of it.

RT if this upset you #RIPBeliebers pic.twitter.com/aTPoNbGuDr — Uldouz (@Uldouz) August 14, 2016

I unfollowed him. #RIPBeliebers #UnfollowJustin pic.twitter.com/UTLfD65CmX — FOLLOW BACK OR UNF (@annakarensam) August 14, 2016

There are even a few montages going around to mourn the good times.

And, it's pretty clear whom they'd rather have Justin Bieber date.

But, there are some Bieber fans who are sticking by him.

The most interesting part of all this, though, is the amount of non-Bieber fans jumping into the conversation for the fun of it.

And even though there are so many sides to this discussion -- which, ultimately, is all any hashtag is -- the basic takeaway is simple. There's a good amount of Bieber fans who feel betrayed, particularly after defending him over the years.

The #RIPBeliebers hashtag continued trending through Saturday morning and well past noon, so there's no telling where things will go from here.

But if anything, this episode shows the power and influence of one Justin Bieber Instagram post.

Citations: Beliebers Revolt Against Their Deity, Justin Bieber, Over New Girlfriend Sofia Richie (The Daily Beast)