Hello fellow citizens of the internet! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr.
Our top stories today are about: A mom claiming a hacker spoke to her son through a baby monitor, a DoorDash driver showing how they got an order request from 200 miles away, a look at how audio from Parks and Recreation is going viral on TikTok, and how a verified Twitter account sparked nuclear war fears.
After that, our IRL Reporter Tricia has her weekly “Problematic on TikTok” column for you.
See you tomorrow!
— A.W.
⚡ Today’s top stories
📹 WTF
‘Get rid of your wifi cameras’: Mom says someone hacked into their child’s Owlet baby monitor, would talk to her son during the night
After purchasing a baby monitor camera to keep an eye on her son, one woman says her camera was hacked when her password was exposed through a data leak, and the hacker began speaking to her son at night.
📌 LABOR
‘All that for no tip’: Driver says DoorDash offered $10 to deliver Panda Express order nearly 200 miles
A DoorDash driver in the Washington, D.C. area claims they received a Panda Express order for a customer located in New York City with a payout of just $10.25.
🔊 INTERNET CULTURE
The ‘OK, well, that’s interesting’ sound is for the anxious
Parks and Recreation has been a pretty consistent content provider for TikTok, and another sound from the show is going viral now. It’s become the perfect soundtrack for anxiety and avoidant behavior.
💣 VIRAL
Verified ‘DEFCON Warning System’ stokes fears online with Russian nuke rumor
A verified Twitter account stirred fear online after claiming to receive information about “nuclear movement in Russia.” But the account isn’t affiliated with any actual government and provided no evidence regarding the claim.
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😬 Problematic on TikTok
Sinophobia is, unfortunately, all the rage on TikTok
In each edition of web_crawlr we have exclusive original content every day. On Tuesdays our IRL Reporter Tricia Crimmins breaks down the trends on the popular app that will make you cringe in her “Problematic on TikTok” 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.
💊 In a viral video, a worker says she was hired as a pharmacist after lying on her resume. Many people were shocked at the revelations.
💸 A server is going viral for sharing how she got a .87% tip after she asked a patron if he planned on driving home from the bar. Many viewers are defending her.
🌮 In a viral video, a Taco Bell worker walked into her job only to discover the store was empty. She’s now wondering what this means for her job.
🛒 A user on Reddit has sparked discussion after sharing a peculiar order they received while shopping for Instacart.
🔮 These spellbinding movies are perfect for your next movie night, from family favorites to the most bitch’ witches in Spain.*
🎮 From our friends at Passionfruit, the Daily Dot’s creator-centric newsletter: “Nintendo copyright crackdown nearly de-platforms creator, reigniting fair use debates.”
🤖 President Joe Biden’s administration recently met with executives from Microsoft, Google, OpenAI, and other big players in the rapidly growing artificial intelligence movement.
🥗 A woman shared all the food she got from Olive Garden for under $10 by ordering off the kids’ menu. While some alleged money-saving hacks haven’t lived up to the hype, viewers think the Olive Garden Kids’ meal hack is one worth trying.
📺 From the Daily Dot archive: Here’s why you can’t take a screenshot of a TV show or movie on your computer.
*The Daily Dot may receive a commission in connection with purchases of products or services featured here.
👋 Before you go
Grocery shopping tips are all over TikTok. Whether it’s someone telling you how to find the best strawberries and blueberries, or someone else offering a warning about shopping for dry goods, numerous tips and tricks about grocery shopping can be learned from the platform.
Now, a user’s clip on TikTok has gone viral after sharing a warning he claims to have received from a viewer.
In a clip with over 1.7 million views, TikTok user Kenny (@kennythetrainer) reads the message aloud. The message, which was sent by someone claiming to have worked as a butcher for “some big-name grocery stores,” alleges that “every single piece of meat that came into our stores…all [had] some disgusting issues that we had to cut out, cut off, or mask.”
The messenger goes on to allege that “masking” frequently meant marinating the meat to hide the smell.
🎶 Now Playing: “3AM” by Drama 🎶
