Hello fellow citizens of the internet! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr.
Happy Friday! Our top stories today are about: An Airbnb guest claiming their host scammed her out of $2,300, a conspiracy theory about Taylor Swift’s recent rumored dating of NFL player Travis Kelce, people trolling Meta’s new AI-generated stickers, and someone going viral for getting AMC popcorn delivered to their house.
After that, we’ve got something exciting for you: We’re debuting a brand new column. Our trending team will now be telling you who the internet’s “Main Character of the Week” is every Friday. Our first main character is down below, I hope you enjoy!
Also, since it’s Friday, don’t forget to take our weekly news quiz! If you answer correctly, you might win a “Crawl Into Fall” shirt that you can wear just in time for Halloween.
See you tomorrow!
— A.W.
⚡ Today’s top stories
💸 SCAMS
‘I’m so confused’: Airbnb guest warns others to take photos after host allegedly scammed her out of $2,300
Airbnb seems to routinely face the problem of sketchy hosts and once again, another user of the property rental platform has taken to social media to accuse their host of fraud.
🛩️ CONSPIRACY
Did Taylor Swift attend the Jets game to bury unflattering stories about her private jet?
The dating rumors surrounding Taylor Swift and NFL player Travis Kelce are unavoidable. But there’s a new internet conspiracy theory circulating about her latest appearance at the Chiefs-Jets game.
💻 TECH
People are trolling Meta’s new AI-generated stickers—giving Elmo a knife and Waluigi a gun
Meta is working on a new feature that allows users to generate their own stickers with AI. But those with early access to the AI are already creating lewd content, raising questions on how well Meta thought through the new feature.
🍿 VIRAL
‘It’s so easy to make at home’: Customer gets AMC popcorn delivered to her house for $30, says it was ‘worth it’
A movie theater popcorn devotee’s post about paying $30 for a massive bag of the salted, buttered snack from AMC sparked controversy online.
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Which Republican presidential hopeful’s “clown shoes” were recently mocked by people online?
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👑 Main Character of the Week
By Ramon Ramirez
Managing Editor
Main Character of the Week: Olive Garden
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.
🌯 It seems some Chipotle customers are finding ways to “get back” at the chain for its constantly increasing prices by getting their money’s worth elsewhere.
📦 A woman declared she had “personal beef” with former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos after Amazon delivered a sensitive product in its original box—which led to an awkward moment with her package concierge.
🍓 One of Starbucks‘ favorite drinks requires so much prep time and a consistent supply is mandatory at each location.
💸 At a time when the cost of living is increasing dramatically, young people seem to be spending their money on comforts and conveniences rather than saving for long-term financial goals.
☕ National Coffee Day in the U.S. may be over, but there are still deals to be had.
💼 Job-hunting seems to be getting more challenging than ever, but on TikTok creators are making the process easier than ever by drawing upon their own experiences and expertise.
🦠 From the Daily Dot archive: Here are the viral marketing campaigns that helped shape the internet as we know it.
*The Daily Dot may receive a commission in connection with purchases of products or services featured here.
👋 Before you go
There are some experiences universal to experiencing life as someone who moves through the world as a woman.
From feeling unsafe if strangers see them walk up to their front door, to fielding unwelcome advances from people they do not know, many people have taken to TikTok to share their experiences and advice for others put into similarly uncomfortable situations.
In particular, catcalling has generated a variety of advice from creators across the platform, ranging from encouraging people being catcalled to bark at the catcallers like a dog, to confronting and filming them.
One woman shared an experience in responding to catcallers at a construction site. User @berridaph shared that assuming the catcalls were actually the men asking her for change proved to be a humiliating experience for them.
