Newsletter: 👂 ‘Literally mortified’ by ear discovery

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

Our top stories today are about: A woman’s shocking story about her trip to the ear doctor, MAGA ditching it’s “psyop” claims about the NFL now that players are doing a Trump dance, why those lo-fi beats you listen to may have actually been made with AI, and a popular dating advice expert getting called out for faking her dates. 

After that, we’ve got another edition of “Meme History” for you. 

Also: Don’t forget—in just a few hours we will have our last round of voting for the 2024 Daily Dot Hall of Fame. So keep an eye on your inbox and don’t forget to vote!!

See you next week! 

— A.W. 

⚡ Today in Internet Culture

👂 WTF
‘It cemented into the ear drum’: Woman goes to the ear doctor. Then he pulls out something completely unexpected

A woman’s story about a trip to the ear doctor has gotten a lot of attention online—because of what was found in there. 

➤READ MORE

🏈 VIRAL POLITICS
MAGA ditches ‘left-wing psyop’ fears about NFL after players break out Trump Y.M.C.A. dance

MAGA was big mad at the NFL for a while. Now apparently they are cool with it. 

➤READ MORE

🎶 TECH
Are the ‘lo-fi beats’ you’re chilling to on YouTube actually made with AI?

Lo-fi videos and playlists have been a fixture for YouTube users for a long time. However, fans of this genre are discovering that many of these playlists appear to be made with AI, sounding formulaic, bulk-produced, and repetitive. 

➤READ MORE

🗣️ CALLED OUT
‘Can y’all not catch the way they are telling stories?’: Popular dating advice expert accused of faking her dates

A content creator is going viral on TikTok after accusing a popular dating advice expert of making up fictitious dates for likes and views. 

➤READ MORE

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By Kyle Calise
Video Producer

Meme History: Yanny or Laurel?

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.

🚽 When moving into a new house or apartment, you’re often met with unexpected quirks and surprises. For example, recently, one woman shared a shocking discovery about her new house’s bathroom design.

👰 A popular creator recently sparked discussion on TikTok after asking her audience their opinion on a tricky subject: What one should do with their wedding dress after a divorce. 

🏠 This homeowner is going viral online after explaining to viewers why she thinks her house is being cased.

🚗 A former car sales worker shared a trade secret: A technique that salespeople use to trick you into a worse deal.

🛒 A Walmart worker is going viral on TikTok after sharing his experience with a difficult customer who refused to wait for help.

💼 From the Daily Dot archive: For Gen Z, office culture is both nostalgic and glamorous (sometimes). 

🤳 Today’s Viral Video

I wish we had context for this slip-up 😂