Hello fellow web crawlers! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr.
Happy Friday! Our top stories today are about: A viral video showing a golden retriever fiercely protecting a bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, people mocking a post that declared Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) was the right-wing version of Taylor Swift, a video showing a woman filling a Whole Foods bag with popcorn during an unlimited deal at a theater, and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) being accused of racism over the way he framed questions to TikTok’s CEO.
After that, our trending team shares with you who the “Main Character of the Week” is. Also, don’t forget to scroll down below and ask our Executive Editor Whitney a question! If you want to know more about what happens behind-the-scenes at the Daily Dot, now is your chance!
P.S. — It’s Friday, which means it is time for our weekly news quiz! If you answer the question correctly, you might win a “Jingle Blogs” shirt.
See you tomorrow!
— A.W.
⚡ Today’s top stories
🐶 VIRAL
‘He’s mad at me’: Ben the golden retriever refuses to surrender Flamin’ Hot Cheetos
A viral video of an 11-year-old golden retriever fiercely protecting a bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos has racked up 8.5 million views.
🗳️ POLITICS
Are ‘Boebies’ the new ‘Swifties’?
People promptly mocked a post that declared that Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) is the conservative version of Taylor Swift.
🍿 HACKS
Woman fills up Whole Foods bag with popcorn at Regal Cinemas during unlimited deal
If you could use any container for unlimited popcorn, what would you choose? A plastic bag? A backpack? Your favorite tote? A paper Whole Foods bag?
💻 TECH
‘Again, I’m Singaporean!’: Tom Cotton grills TikTok CEO over membership in Chinese Communist Party—despite not being from China
Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) grilled TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew during a hearing over links to the Chinese Communist Party, leading to accusations of racism on Cotton’s part on social media over the way Cotton framed the questions.
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✏️ Take our weekly news quiz!
Are you the most online reader of web_crawlr? Prove it by answering our question of the week! The answer can be found somewhere in one of our newsletters from this week.
If you answer correctly, you’ll be entered to win our brand new “Jingle Blogs” shirt, and we’ll shout out five people who won the shirt!
In a recent viral video, a McDonald’s customer found something unexpected in something they ordered. What was the item they ordered?
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👑 Main Character of the Week
By Ramon Ramirez
Managing Editor
Main Character of the Week: Best Buy guy
Main Character of the Week is a weekly column that tells you the most prominent “main character” online (good or bad). It runs on Fridays 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.
🍗 A Chick-fil-A worker posted a viral storytime video explaining why she never befriends her co-workers. Viewers say this is the best strategy.
☕ Is paying $2 extra for non-dairy milk discrimination? That’s the question at the heart of a new lawsuit, which sees 10 plaintiffs suing restaurant chain Dunkin’ for alleged disability discrimination against people with milk allergies or lactose intolerance.
🐠 This woman went viral for sharing how not to get tricked while buying salmon at grocery stores.
🚗 Ordering food in a drive-thru can be a frustrating experience when supplies inside are running low.
🌨️ A woman is in shock after she got fired after being late due to extreme winter weather, she said.
🛒 Alongside low prices and high wages for workers, Costco lovers have something else that keeps them coming back to the store: Costco’s generous return policy.
🌐 From the Daily Dot archive: Is there a First Amendment right to assemble in the metaverse?
👋 Before you go
TikTok University strikes again. One TikToker’s handy tip regarding screwdrivers is blowing everybody’s mind.
A whole new slew of people just had a quietly thrilling experience thanks to a video from Sandra Maria (@sandra.maria.home), a DIY enthusiast who frequently shares her projects and ideas with her audience.
But Sandra herself recently discovered something wildly helpful she thought others could benefit from knowing.
“Did you know that a screwdriver has all of these ridges so that you can attach a socket to it, or a wrench, to give more torque?” she asks while demonstrating how to do so for viewers. “So next time, if you’re like, really struggling to unscrew something, and you’re afraid you’re going to strip the screw, do this instead.”
