Hello fellow citizens of the internet! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr.
Happy Friday! Our top stories today are about: How data brokers are selling your mental health information, a new trend on TikTok where users imagine conversations with their ancestors, a viral video showing shoppers fighting over eggs, and how people are comparing the train derailment in Ohio to the Netflix film White Noise.
After that, our Culture Editor Tiffany has her “This Week on the Internet” column and shares with you her pick for meme of the week.
One last thing: Don’t forget to take our weekly news quiz! If you answer correctly, you might win a web_crawlr shirt!
See you tomorrow!
— A.W.
⚡ Today’s top stories
🔒 DATA PRIVACY
Data brokers are selling your mental health information
Researcher found records for sale for as little as $0.06.
📱 TRENDS
TikTokers are talking to their (hypothetical) ancestors in this new trend
An Indie Pop song released in 2015 is the unlikely the backdrop for a new TikTok trend in which creators imagine conversations they’d want to have with their ancestors.
🥚 WTF
‘Things got intense’: Costco shopper films huge line of customers shopping, fighting for eggs
A recent viral video is showing just how outrageous the country’s egg shortage has gotten in some areas.
🎞️ CULTURE
People are comparing the train derailment in Ohio to ‘White Noise’
White Noise is coming back into the public eye in a big way after the recent toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, led to many pointing out similarities between real life and the film.
🌐 Prove how extremely online you are!
Are you the most online reader of web_crawlr?
Prove it by answering our question of the week. Next week, we’ll shout out people who answered correctly, and of those who do, you’ll be entered to win a Daily Dot t-shirt!
People are claiming of a viral video showing a rental property that was completely trashed was staged. Which rental app was the host using?
Think you know the answer? Sign up for web_crawlr so you can answer next week’s question!
🗣️ This Week on the Internet
The ‘sex scenes are bad’ discourse has gone off the rails
In each edition of web_crawlr we have exclusive original content every day. On Fridays our Senior Culture Editor Tiffany Kelly recaps the most pressing online discourse of the week in her “This Week On The Internet” 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 you inbox.
🕸️ Crawling the web
Here is what else is happening across the ‘net.
🍔 A McDonald’s customer called the store she went to after she allegedly received raw burger patties and very salty fries.
🍕 Two 7-Eleven workers laugh at an Uber Eats driver placing a frozen pizza in a cardboard delivery box in a now-viral video.
🍴 A server sparked a viral debate about whether tipping is mandatory after stating she gets “revenge” against certain customers by tossing away any personal effects they may leave behind.
🏒 Is hockey really for everyone?
💳 A user on TikTok has gone viral after claiming that Ashley HomeStore signed them up for several credit cards without their knowledge.
⛔ From the Daily Dot archive: What happens when your favorite TV show gets canceled?
🍗 A TikToker’s video showcasing a new KFC menu item, a new chicken wrap combo, ended in disappointment after she tried the meal.
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📅 Meme of the Week
A piece of Flounder fanart has been making the rounds on Twitter, but don’t worry, that’s not actually what Ariel’s sidekick will look like in the new Little Mermaid film.
🎶 Now Playing: “Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen 🎶
