Hello fellow citizens of the internet! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr.
Our top stories today are about: A fake video of a Boston Dynamics robot “fighting” that is going viral, a small business owner saying an Instagram glitch cost her $1,000 worth of sales, TikTokers reacting to a crowd of Taylor Swift fans on a subway, and how one person is getting a lot of attention for issuing a PSA to frequent restaurant visitors.
After that, we’ve got a “Problematic on TikTok” column for you from our IRL Reporter Tricia.
See you tomorrow!
— A.W.
⚡ Today’s top stories
🤖 DEBUNK
Fake video of Boston Dynamics robot ‘fighting’ racks up millions of views
A video that purports to show one of Boston Dynamics’ robots practicing how to fight has racked up millions of views across social media. But the footage appears to be computer-generated.
💸 WTF
‘This whole time I had no idea what was happening’: Small business owner says Instagram glitch cost her $1,000 worth of sales
In a clip with over 651,000 views, a shop owner claims she lost out on about $1,000 worth of sales due to a glitch in the platform.
🎤 VIRAL
TikTokers react to video of a crowd of Taylor Swift concert attendees getting on a subway in Atlanta
Taylor Swift fans are famously intense, and right now the Eras tour is unleashing them across America. Case in point: This viral TikTok depicting a crowd of Swifties descending on a subway train in Atlanta.
🍴 LABOR
TikToker says servers have nicknames for all regular customers
A TikTok user and comedian recently shared a PSA to frequent restaurant visitors: If you’re a regular customer, you might be wearing a nickname you’re not aware you have.
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🔒 Surf the ‘net safely
We are launching a new column (very) soon! We asked web_crawlers like you late last year what kinds of topics you’d be interested in if we were going to launch a new column, and a lot of you wanted an advice column and more about internet security.
So we thought, why not blend the two? Let us introduce you to “Your Password Sucks,” a bi-weekly column where our Tech Reporter Mikael Thalen will answer internet security questions that come directly from you!
Do you have questions about surfing the internet safely that you want answered? Let us know by clicking the link below!
Got a question you want answered? Sign up for web_crawlr to get the link to our submission form!
😬 Problematic on TikTok
Divine feminine TikTokers are trying to make the patriarchy cool again
In each edition of web_crawlr we have exclusive original content every day. On Tuesdays our IRL Reporter Tricia Crimmins breaks down the trends on the popular app that will make you cringe in her “Problematic on TikTok” 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.
🐠 People aren’t happy with the way Flounder looks in the upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.
🚗 Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s past remarks on the safety of self-driving technology shouldn’t be used in court given that they could be deepfakes, lawyers for the electric automaker have argued.
🍕 This Little Caesar’s employee is going viral for detailing how she has to Uber home after her shift.
🎥 The Russo brothers’ $300-million Amazon spy show ‘Citadel’ is a disaster.
🧹 A TikToker who rented an Airbnb with a dozen friends says they were charged $4,000 in damages, including an $850 cleaning fee.
🥕 Instacart is a common subject of discussion on TikTok. Most recently a video is going viral of a shopper complaining about customers who add items to their order while he’s shopping.
⏰ Would you apply to a job that asked you to be “on-call 24/7” and only paid between $20-25 per hour?
🎶 Want to get into vinyl? These beginner record players will spin you right round, baby.*
🎧 From the Daily Dot archive: Without live performances amid the pandemic, musicians relied on streaming services to stay afloat.
*The Daily Dot may receive a commission in connection with purchases of products or services featured here.
👋 Before you go
It’s hard to beat the convenience of food delivery.
TikToker Yana Glo (@yummyyana) is a self-proclaimed delivery addict, who said that she was dropping around $1,000 per month on getting her meals delivered to her.
She decided that she needed to start meal-prepping and eating her own food from home, but wanted to make the act of doing so more convenient.
So she shared a video highlighting how she did just that and it involved a lot of disposable utensils and single-use food containers that allow her to plan her meals and then grab them and go.
🎶 Now Playing: “Backseat” by Susannah Joffe 🎶
