Votes from internet pranksters lift Kim Jong-un to win Time's Person of the Year

[View the story "4Chan votes Kim Jong-Un to top of Time's Person of the Year poll" on Storify]

Storified by CBC News Community · Mon, Dec 03 2012 18:08:26

Nyheter24

It's been a good week for North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un through the lens of internet pranksters.

First, The Onion declared him 2012's sexiest man alive, and nowhis name is topping Time's "Person of the Year" poll thanks to 4Chan.

Members of the notoriously mischievous online image board community began encouragingeach other to vote for Kim shortly after Time opened their annual poll to thepublic last Monday.

4 the lulz: I think Kim Jong Un should be named @TIME's Person of the Year! Vote now | http://ti.me/SMFugk #POY2012Stephan Schielke

Operation: "KIM JONG UN FOR TIME'S PERSON OF THE YEAR." If you're not voting, you're making our supreme leader cry.http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2128881_2128882_2129192,00.htmlCygnus Vesalius

"So 4chan is, successfully, voting Kim Jong Un Time's Person of The Year." It's not too late to vote. #inspiration http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2128881_2129111,00.html?aSEAN 3:16

Swedish news service NYHETER24 captured thefirst thread on the forum at 9 p.m. CET. It read "Please, can not we doour noble leader Kim Jong-un to Times Person of the Year 2012?"

Nyheter24

The anonymous poster received a quick and enthusiasticresponse. More posts, and plenty of action followed - so much so that Kim nowleads the poll with a whopping 3,143,099 votes (likely with the help of automated voting scripts.)

Kim's next-closest competitor is Egyptian PresidenMohamed Morsi with 392,548 votes, followed by young Pakistani blogger MalalaYousafzai with 233, 146.

Imgur

"Operation: Kim Jong Un For Time's Person of the Year," as the mission is being called, appears to be a success, though it doesn't necessarily meant that Kim will be given the award. Time is careful to note that the publications editors will have the final say in choosing their person of the year.

Many are celebrating the victory and congratulating 4Chan nonetheless.

So, TIME magazine are doing a vote for person of the year and Kim Jong Un is top. Well done 4chan.Puke Larker

It is hilarious and ridiculous that 4chan is leading the charge to make Kim Jong Un the popular vote Time Person of the Year. #LoveItKyle Volenik

In other news, 4Chan is doing what they do best and rigging the Time Person of the Year vote. Kim Jong Un is their man- http://ti.me/TvlRdiNabil Fahim

Oh 4Chan you never cease to amaze me. Making kim jong un time magazines people of the year http://pic.twitter.com/KEQc7dpu__dirtydan

Now THIS is social in action. Reddit and 4chan team up to vote Kim Jong Un the Times Magazine person of the year. http://www.reddit.com/r/ImGoingToHellForThis/comments/13um49/calling_all_filth_team_up_with_4chan_and_bring/Rob Barac

Others, unaware of the massive plot, are confused or upset by the poll's results.

3 million votes that kim jong il should be times person of the year? did he force every north korean to vote for him?Patrick Flinn

Umm Kim Jong Un, the new leader of North Korea, has a 96% yes vote in the online Time "Person of the Year" user poll?? That's suspicious...David Winger

There's no way Kim Jong Un should be named @TIME's Person of the Year! Vote now | http://ti.me/SMFugk #POY2012Johnnie Xu

@slone The fact that Kim Jong Un(acceptable) is the top vote getter, proves how F***ED UP this country is.Wgg Films

Kim Jong Un received nearly 10x more votes for Time's "person of the year" than anyone else. That's not fishy at all. http://pic.twitter.com/Qif3tqkzOkGoDoIt

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This isn't the first time 4Chan has gamed a Time poll, either.

Just two years ago, the website's founder moot (Christopher Poole) was voted 2009's World'sMost Influential Person after amassing more than 16 million votes, beating out the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama, Bernie Madoff.

Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.comIn a stunning result, the winner of the third annual TIME 100 poll and new owner of the title World's Most Influential Person is moot. Th...

Geoffreygolden

Not only did 4chan users boosted the then 21-year-old's rank in this case, but they were able to collectively influence the order of nominees to spell out an inside joke with the first initials of their names.

Wordpress

Time did admit at the time that they had detected several attempts to hack their site, but appeared unfazed enough to hold their poll online in subsequent years. It looks like 4Chan is ready to take another crack at it.

What are your thoughts on public online polls? Are they still of any relevance, or does the ability for people to troll and manipulate them make polls worthless to attempt? Give us your thoughts below.

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