Hello fellow web crawlers! Kira here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr.
Today’s top stories are about: an uninvited guest at a Texas Roadhouse customer’s table, a flight attendant’s tips for travelers, an Airbnb host who complained about his guests online only to have the internet turn on him, and the incredulous reaction to BetterHelp’s minuscule compensation for a data breach.
We’ve also got a more uplifting story for you in today’s “One Good Thing” section.
Until next time,
— K.D.
⚡ Today in Internet Culture
🪳GROSS
‘I have never been so disappointed’: Texas Roadhouse customer finds something unexpected when her food arrives
A Texas Roadhouse customer has gone viral after encountering an uninvited guest at her table.
✈️ INSIDER INFO
‘Stop getting ice with your drink’: 5 travel tips to fly by from flight attendants
“Listen to me or don’t. I’m just trying to save u,” a flight attendant told viewers on TikTok.
🏠 AIRBNB’S STILL LOSING THE PR BATTLE
‘You lost me at $1,000 a night’: Airbnb host says guests tried to scam him. Viewers aren’t on his side
“Airbnb landlords are the actual worst,” one commenter wrote on the video.
💸 DATA BREACH DISCOURSE
‘3 minutes of IRL therapy’: BetterHelp’s compensation for exposing users’ data to Meta is laughably small
“Nothing like getting your mental health exposed to corporate America for $9.72,” one Redditor posted.
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🔒 Surf The ‘Net Safely
Do you have questions about how to be safe online? If you do, you are in luck. Our “Your Password Sucks” column answers internet security questions from web crawlers like you.
If you ask a question and our Tech Reporter Mikael picks it to be answered in a future column, we’ll send you this pretty sweet web_crawlr desk mat.
To ask an internet security-related question, sign up for web_crawlr here.
👍 One Good Thing
We cover the “best and worst” of internet culture, but sometimes the “best” can get lost in the shuffle. We’ll focus on stories that highlight the “best” in a re-occurring section called “One Good Thing.”
‘I just got a $2k check’: Woman says the government may owe you money. Here’s how to find out
According to TikTok user Avery (@averybrynn1), you might have money waiting for you that you don’t even know about.
Avery has previously gone viral and sparked discussion after claiming to reveal how to win at casinos and warning users not to try the Chipotle catering meal prep hack. Now, she says that the government may owe you money, and there’s an easy way to find out if they do.
“I just found out that if you go to your state’s treasury’s website, there’s a huge list of all the money that the government owes people,” she explains in a video with over 4.9 million views. “If you’re on that list, you can literally reach out and they will send you a check.”
While Avery says she was not personally owed any money, she was able to see that others were owed considerable amounts of cash.
“I don’t think you understand. There are thousands of y’all that could be in Cabo this weekend,” she says. The money, she states, “could be from tax refunds, class action lawsuits.”
“I think that there’s a reason why this isn’t advertised. It is quite literally free money,” she adds.
🕸️ Crawling the Web
Here is what else is happening across the ‘net.
📮 A new electric USPS truck was recently showcased in a viral TikTok video and viewers are making fun of its unconventional design.
🥤 This McDonald’s expert is getting a lot of attention for sharing the real reason free drink refills are going away.
☀️ More Tesla problems are cropping up online. One woman says her Tesla stopped working and wouldn’t even open in 93-degree heat.
🏨 Imagine paying hundreds for a hotel room only to end up having to sleep on the beach. One hotel customer says they had to spend the night outside after the master key to their hotel room didn’t work.
💅 A viral video posted to TikTok is warning those wanting Gel-X nails to avoid getting them done at salons.
💼 From the Daily Dot archive: For Gen Z, office culture is both nostalgic and glamorous (sometimes).
📝 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.
WOULD YOU RATHER STAY AT AN AIRBNB OR A HOTEL/RESORT?
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🤳 Today’s Viral Video
Are you team green or black?
🎶 Now Playing: “Only One” by Cassandra Jenkins 🎶
