Bieber awarded for tech innovation

Pop star Justin Bieber has received a Tribeca Disruptive innovation prize for his contribution to YouTube and social media.

The 18-year-old became an overnight internet sensation after videos of the teen went viral and scored over 2 million hits.

Today Bieber has 2.7 billion video views on YouTube, nearly 21 million followers and 41 million Facebook fans.

Bieber himself acknowledges the importantce of technology to his career.

'I don't think that I would be here without the Internet,' said Bieber.

'The fans feel connected to me,' he said.

His manager Scooter Braun was also suitbly impressed by his YouTube videos.

'Either I was going to be the guy who watches videos of a young boy on the Internet and gets arrested, or I was going to sign him,' said Braun.

The Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards recognise contributers to technology in non-traditional ways in everything from the arts to the sciences.