Hello fellow citizens of the internet! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr.
Our top stories today are about:
- Someone finding an unpleasant addition to her Endless Shrimp at Red Lobster.
- Republican operatives unearthing Trump’s fraud trial judge’s gym thirst trap photos.
- Fans of Taylor Swift not knowing how to get a CD out of the case.
- An explainer of the viral “Does He Know?” meme.
After that, our Senior Politics and Tech Editor David has a “Deplatformed” column for you.
See you tomorrow!
— A.W.
⚡ Today’s top stories
🦐 WTF
‘Never eating out again’: Red Lobster customer says she found something unusual in her food when she went for Endless Shrimp deal
A Red Lobster customer claims there was an unpleasant addition to her dish as part of an Endless Shrimp adventure at the chain restaurant—and she has video to prove it.
📷 POLITICS
Republican operatives unearth gym thirst trap Trump fraud trial judge appears have posted in high school alumni newsletter
A Republican opposition research firm unearthed Judge Arthur Engoron’s fitness update photos.
💿 VIRAL
‘I shouldn’t feel this old’: Tween Swifties learn how to open ‘1989’ CD
A Taylor Swift CD is apparently still a novelty for fans of a certain age.
🤔 MEMES
What is the ‘Does He Know?’ meme?
This meme weaves humor into the fabric of online communication, turning a simple question into a staple of social media banter.
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🚉 Deplatformed
By David Covucci
Senior Politics and Technology Editor
Nashville mayor slander
Deplatformed is a weekly column that looks into the nether reaches of the internet—outside the big few that everyone already covers—to tell you the political discourse online. It runs on Thursdays in the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter. If you want to get this column a day before we publish it, subscribe to web_crawlr, where you’ll get the daily scoop of internet culture delivered straight to your inbox.
🕸️ Crawling the web
Here is what else is happening across the ‘net.
🍔 This Five Guys customer joined in on the ongoing discussion over fast-food prices by saying that they paid over $22 for the “smallest” meal that “wasn’t even nice.”
💵 Pre-tipping on DoorDash is a hot topic of conversation, with both drivers and customers carrying some very strong opinions on the matter.
🧹 A café worker’s clip went viral after they started their pre-close duties soon after their shop opened. In the comments section, many workers said they could relate to the feeling of wanting to start clean-up duties early—presumably so they can go home, too.
👗 There can be hiccups when orders are processed. Some are minor but others are major. In this case, a woman revealed her “horror story” after she received only two items from her $850 order from Abercrombie & Fitch.
📱 While Instagram has already gained notoriety for contributing to low self-esteem, it seems that another platform has joined the ranks of mood-dampeners: LinkedIn.
🎄 This Home Depot customer went viral after sharing how she paid $400 for a Christmas tree but when it arrived she noticed that something was wrong.
🍿 Fuel your hate-watching with movies so bad, they’re actually…kind of good. These are the best worst movies you need to watch right now.*
🍹 A customer at an Atlanta restaurant had reasonable expectations for what everything would cost in a big-city dining establishment—until it came to two Long Island Iced Teas that were $30 each.
🤖 From the Daily Dot archive: Distorted TikTok sounds hurt marginalized creators—and AI is making it worse.
*The Daily Dot may receive a commission in connection with purchases of products or services featured here.
📝 Question of the Day
Everyone’s got opinions, and we want to know yours. Just click a button below to answer the question, and tomorrow we will let you know how fellow web crawlers like you answered.
ARE YOU A FAN OF TAYLOR SWIFT‘S MUSIC?
To answer questions like this in the future, sign up for web_crawlr here.
👋 Before you go
An O’Reilly Auto Parts employee’s first day on the job reportedly took a catastrophic turn when a routine installation ended in a massive car fire.
The incident, captured on video and shared by TikToker Mike (@dr3amwurld), has already garnered over 1.5 million views, serving as a warning for car owners and novice mechanics alike.
The footage shows a car engulfed in flames, with a fire truck nearby, while the TikToker narrates: “It’s my first day working at O’Reilly’s. I installed this vato’s battery backwards.”
In the comment section, viewers cracked jokes about the situation.
