Hello fellow web crawlers! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr.
Our top stories today are about: President Biden trolling people who believe the Taylor Swift psyop conspiracy, how people online are confused over a ‘He Gets Us’ Super Bowl ad, a PayPal customer warning about how $500 went missing from her account, and a man going viral for sharing a Wendy’s menu hack. Down below, we’ve got a story about an “indescribable” T.J. Maxx bathroom incident.
After that, our Senior Reporter Tricia has a “Problematic on TikTok” column for you.
And a quick programming note: I’m taking some time off, so look forward to Kira guiding you through the news for a while!
See you around the internet!
— A.W.
⚡ Today’s top stories
🏈 POLITICS
Biden trolls Swift-Kelce ‘psyop’ believers after Chiefs Super Bowl win—as Trump pleads with duo to endorse him instead
President Joe Biden mocked conspiracy theorists in a post to social media following the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl win against the San Francisco 49ers.
🦶 VIRAL
‘Why did we just get a PSA about how Jesus was a foot guy?’: ‘He Gets Us’ Super Bowl ad leads to ‘Jesus was a foot guy’ confusion
A Super Bowl ad sponsored by a Christian group is resonating with X users in a way that was perhaps unintentional. Namely, they can’t believe “Jesus was a foot guy” is the marketing pitch.
💸 WTF
‘Had this happen with Venmo’: PayPal customer issues warning after over $500 went missing from her account
In a viral video that has amassed 350,000 views, one woman said hundreds of dollars disappeared from her bank account as a result of a PayPal hack.
🍗 HACKS
‘How are you not gonna buy 40 chicken nuggets?’: Man reveals family-sized Wendy’s menu hack
In these tough economic times, making your dining dollar stretch is something of a pastime for TikTok creators.
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😬 Problematic on TikTok
By Tricia Crimmins
Senior Reporter
Unsurprisingly, TikTok’s AI Oil Painting filter is white-washing users
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 your inbox.
🕸️ Crawling the web
Here is what else is happening across the ‘net.
🛒 In today’s retail jungle, a shopper armed with inside knowledge is king—or, in this case, queen? Enter Kaitlyn, a former Target employee turned TikTok whistleblower, whose recent video has everyone reevaluating their return policy strategies.
🔨 Is this the greatest deal of the new year or one of the most embarrassing computer glitches in Home Depot history?
📷 Your passport photo needs to look good in the United States. In a now-viral video, a woman issued a public service announcement warning people never to go to Walgreens for a passport photo. Instead, she revealed where to get it taken instead.
🤔 This woman says she got rejected during a job interview because she wasn’t “passionate” about the job. She was applying to be a receptionist.
💼 A work-from-home mom said that despite going above and beyond at her current position, she was fired without warning leaving her in a precarious financial position—and it happened on the same day that her manager gave her a “shout-out” at work for performing well.
🌯 This Taco Bell customer tried getting a Cheesy Gordita Crunch for less than $5. In the process, she discovered an even better hack.
📦 As convenient as Amazon is, there’s often a margin of error that comes with such swift service. But according to TikToker Diane Smith, the company has completely lost its mind.
🏳️🌈 From the Daily Dot archive: How a Sims 2 fan forum became an unwitting safe space for queer creatives.
📝 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.
DID YOU WATCH THE SUPER BOWL ON SUNDAY NIGHT?
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👋 Before you go
A woman went viral on TikTok after posting a video in which she slammed the state customers leave the T.J. Maxx bathroom in.
MacKenzie (@worldcutestdogs) posted about her experience shopping at the store. “So I have to talk about something that … I witnessed today that I’m honestly not sure I’ll ever recover from, and I think this just needs to be like a bigger cultural conversation,” MacKenzie begins.
She goes on to say that on a recent Saturday, she decided to go shopping at T.J. Maxx.
“I stroll my daughter into the restroom, and I make a beeline for the handicap stall so that she can be in her stroller in the stall with me while I’m quickly just simply going to the bathroom,” she says.
“But what I was not prepared for,” says the TikToker, “was something so indescribable. … There always is a stench in the T.J. Maxx bathroom; this is nothing new here; you just try not to breathe while you’re in it.”
However, that day was different. MacKenzie says that as she glanced toward the toilet, she saw a horrifying mess. “I audibly gasped,” she says.
🎶 Now Playing: “Bloom” by Aqyila 🎶
