Hello fellow citizens of the internet! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr.
Our top stories today are about: A former McDonald’s worker revealing secrets from when she worked there (like not being allowed to fill up fry containers), conspiracies that have popped up about Miley Cyrus’ bodyguard, Meta warning investors about Mark Zuckerberg’s “high risk” hobbies, and an explainer aboutNPC memes.
After that, our Assistant Newsletter Editor Kira has got a “Decoding Fandom” column for you.
One last thing: Don’t forget to ask our Executive Editor Whitney a question about the Daily Dot! If your question gets picked to be answered in a future newsletter, we’ll send you a web_crawlr shirt.
See you tomorrow!
— A.W.
⚡ Today’s top stories
🍟 VIRAL
‘You can fit about three small fries in a medium container’: Former McDonald’s worker says they weren’t ‘allowed’ to fill up the fry containers
A former McDonald’s worker has sparked discussion after revealing “secrets” from her time working at the popular fast food chain.
☂️ CONSPIRACY
Fake arm or an umbrella gun? Video of Miley Cyrus’ bodyguard on Grammys red carpet prompts speculation
A video of Miley Cyrus walking alongside her bodyguard at the Grammy Awards launched a new conspiracy among some fans that he was secretly armed.
💻 TECH
Meta warns investors Mark Zuckerberg could accidentally kill himself—notes ‘high-risk’ hobbies could have ‘adverse impact’ on the company
Meta warned investors of the risks associated with CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s “high-risk” hobbies.
👤 MEMES
NPC memes reveal that everyone just might be a background character
NPCs—or non-playable characters—and NPC memes, have been around since they became a video game staple.
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⭐ Decoding Fandom
By Kira Deshler
Assistant Newsletter Editor
Is Wendy Williams back? Fans praying for the queen of gossip’s return
In each edition of web_crawlr we have exclusive original content every day. On Wednesdays our Assistant Newsletter Editor Kira Deshler dives deep into the world of fan culture in her “Decoding Fandom” 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 your inbox.
🕸️ Crawling the web
Here is what else is happening across the ‘net.
🧼 A woman shopping at Walmart claims it took her 20 minutes to buy a box of soap since it was in a locked container in the store—which she alleges is a by-product of theft.
🍗 This man went viral after he caught Pizza Hut urging workers to “upsell” wings, desserts, and soda to customers.
💸 A TikToker is advising her audience to keep tabs on their bank statements after a discrepancy on hers sent her on a wild goose chase.
🥤 When it comes to fast food, customers question everything. A pair of customers at In-N-Out are questioning the truth behind the pink lemonade sold by the burger chain after learning what may—or may not—be behind the beverage’s rosy hue.
🚗 This woman says mechanics started working on her car with her inside of it, cranked her 10 feet in the air.
🍽️ One Cracker Barrel customer asked his TikTok followers how much they would tip a server after receiving bad service at a restaurant.
🔍 From the Daily Dot archive: QAnon is now too big to fail.
📝 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.
DO YOU WORK FROM HOME?
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👋 Before you go
A Costco shopper posted a viral video showing the emergency food kits being offered in-store. Viewers say Costco knows something we don’t.
TikToker CharminglyFrugal (@charminglyfrugal) has reached over 4.3 million views and 164,000 likes on her video. She frequently uses her account with over 92,000 followers to post survival tips like how to make a fire starter, emergency go-bags, and preserve food.
CharminglyFrugal captioned her post, “Let’s check the prices at costco,” referring to emergency food kits.
Viewers in the comments section suggested that Costco selling emergency food packs hints at something else.
🎶 Now Playing: “Wendy Williams dancing to songs with iconic intros for 2 minutes straight” 🎶
