Newsletter: 🤬 👵 Why does MAGA want to jail a grandma?

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Hello fellow web crawlers! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr. 

Happy Saturday! I hope you’ve got some fun weekend plans. 

Our top stories today are about: Why right-wingers are big mad over a video showing a woman helping her grandma to vote, the backlash to Elon Musk making a change to the block feature on X, an explainer on the “dark academia” TikTok subculture, and a viral video of a McDonald’s worker offering free food after the entire night shift walked out. 

After that, we’ve got a spooky version of “Meme History” for you. 

Speaking of spooky: Did you take our weekly news quiz in yesterday’s newsletter? If not, go do it! If you answer the question correctly, you might win a “Click or Treat” sweatshirt just in time for Halloween. 

See you next week! 

— A.W. 

⚡ Today in Internet Culture

🤬 VIRAL POLITICS
A TikTok grandma went viral for voting for Harris—now X users want her arrested

A heartwarming video of a woman helping her grandma vote in the 2024 presidential election has transformed into a massive voter fraud conspiracy theory among right-wingers online. 

➤READ MORE

💬 TECH
Did Elon Musk change X’s block function just to see his ex-wife’s tweets?

A forthcoming change to the block feature on X is sparking furious backlash—and speculation that the change was rolled out solely so Elon Musk can see his ex-wife’s posts.

➤READ MORE

🧣 TRENDS
What is dark academia? Everything you need to know about this moody TikTok aesthetic

Anchored in nostalgia for classic collegiate and prep school culture, dark academia is a TikTok subculture that embraces scholarly pursuits with a gothic, somber flair.

➤READ MORE

🍔 LABOR
‘You strong because I would’ve left right along with them’: McDonald’s worker offers food for free after entire night shift walks out

In the fast-paced world of fast food, one wouldn’t expect a whole team to walk out mid-shift. 

➤READ MORE

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By Kyle Calise
Video Producer

Meme History: Halloween Memes

Meme History is a weekly column that dives deep into internet lore to uncover the history of famous memes. It runs on Saturdays 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.

🎮 Video game prices have increased exponentially over the last couple of years, making it an expensive hobby. So this viral video showing how to get games at Best Buy for $10 is getting a ton of attention online. 

👕 A former Skechers employee went viral on TikTok for exposing their workplace. The lifestyle and athletic brand, they said, apparently asked associates to wear risqué new work uniforms. 

⛽ This driver is warning others to avoid what she describes as “bad gasoline” that can impact performance.

🍞 Is the Great Value white bread loaf from Walmart even a good deal?

📹 From the Daily Dot archive: Here’s how local governments are surveilling their workers. 

🤳 Today’s Viral Video

Here’s Obama on who really built the economy Trump inherited.