Hello fellow citizens of the internet! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr.
It’s Friday! And we’ve got some top stories to get you to the weekend. They are about: A bonkers conspiracy theory about secret dinosaurs, Amazon being hit with a formal complaint for suspending a union organizer, residents in Ohio going viral for sharing what they believe are symptoms they have after the toxic train derailment, and another look at the Supreme Court’s tech cases they are hearing this week.
After that, our Culture Editor Tiffany has her “This Week on the Internet” column and shares with you her favorite meme of the week.
Also: Don’t forget to take our news quiz! If you guess the answer correctly, you will be entered to win a web_crawlr shirt!
See you around the internet,
— A.W.
⚡ Today’s top stories
🦕 CONSPIRACY
TikTok conspiracy theory claims that live dinosaurs were discovered in ‘uncharted lands’ in China
The rumor began with a news story someone claims they overheard in a nail salon—and now it’s going viral.
📦 LABOR
Amazon to be hit with formal complaint for suspending union organizer at Staten Island warehouse
The National Labor Relations Board (NLBR) announced today that it will issue a formal complaint against Amazon for suspending a union organizer at a Staten Island warehouse.
🚆 VIRAL
‘We are STRUGGLING’: Ohio residents attribute headaches, nausea to toxins from East Palestine train derailment
After a train transporting hazardous chemicals derailed near East Palestine, Ohio, people online living near the accident are sharing what they believe to be physical symptoms of the newly created pollution.
🔗 TECH
Supreme Court leans toward Twitter’s argument it did not knowingly aid ISIS terrorists
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Twitter v. Taamneh, a case that considers whether internet services are liable for terrorism-related content on their platforms.
💾 Are you extremely online?
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Prove it by answering our question of the week. Next week, we’ll shout out people who answered correctly, and of those who do, you’ll be entered to win a Daily Dot t-shirt!
Which senator is going viral for accidentally photobombing a duo’s TikTok dance video?
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🗣️ This Week on the Internet
‘Angela Bassett did the thing’ is still riding the meme wave
In each edition of web_crawlr we have exclusive original content every day. On Fridays our Senior Culture Editor Tiffany Kelly recaps the most pressing online discourse of the week in her “This Week On The Internet” column. If you want to read columns like this before everyone else, subscribe to web_crawlr to get your daily scoop of internet culture delivered straight to you inbox.
🕸️ Crawling the web
Here is what else is happening across the ‘net.
🐦 A content creator became Twitter’s “Main Character” after being roundly dunked on for a tweet he posted about women’s bellies.
🍴 Does every restaurant have a “two-visit curse?”
💄 A former Ulta employee claims in a video clip that she was written up after attempting to stop a recurring thief from walking out of the store with a basket full of products.
🖥️ A user on TikTok has sparked discussion after claiming she saw someone working at a coffee shop using a full desktop-sized monitor.
⏲️ This content creator has attracted a ton of attention after saying she sat in her job’s breakroom for 10 hours everyday.
🤖 Tech bros on Twitter seem really happy with how bad and evil their AI chatbots can be.
🏳️🌈 From the Daily Dot archive: How a Sims 2 fan forum became anunwitting safe space for queer creatives.
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📅 Meme of the Week
Joel’s panic attacks in The Last of Us became a relatable meme format.
