Hello fellow citizens of the internet! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr.
Our top stories today are about: How several viral incidents of people getting thrown off airplanes for being too drunk show the consequences of imbibing in the sky, an exclusive report about how the far-right used power grid threats to try and blackmail the government into freeing neo-Nazi robbery suspects, how White Castle is using AI now, and a look at why so many people hate a fan-made Spiderman film.
After that, our Investigative Reporter Claire has a “Dirty Delete” column for you.
See you tomorrow!
— A.W.
⚡ Today’s top stories
🛩️ VIRAL
Why is everyone getting thrown off airplanes for being too drunk?
Several viral incidents show the consequences of imbibing in the sky.
💻 FAR-RIGHT
EXCLUSIVE: Far-right used power grid threats to try and blackmail government into freeing neo-Nazi bank robbery suspects
The threat was picked up by the Department of Homeland Security.
🤖 AI
‘The largest screen for terms and conditions that is wild’: White Castle drive-thru is an AI worker—and there’s a catch
White Castle is rolling out a new AI voice assistant for its drive-thrus but customers have to sign off on a “Terms and Conditions” screen before they can satisfy their slider cravings.
🎬 CULTURE
What is the fan-made film ‘Spider-Man Lotus’ and why do so many people hate it?
Filmed on a shoestring budget, this unlicensed ‘Spider-Man’ movie was embroiled in in a racism scandal.
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🗳️ Dirty Delete
Colorado GOP chair loves superheroes and hates free and fair elections
In each edition of web_crawlr we have exclusive original content. On Thursdays our Politics Reporter Claire Goforth goes deep on the social media history of politicians, political groups, and politically-adjacent figures in her “Dirty Delete” 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.
🐔 Foodies were abuzz this past week after a TikToker uploaded a video claiming a striking similarity between chicken nuggets from Kroger and McDonald’s.
🚽 A Starbucks barista says she was so inundated with job responsibilities, she wasn’t even able to use the bathroom during her shifts.
🧊 This restaurant worker exposed the conditions of a walk-in fridge by captioning the video “a lawless wasteland of cross-contamination.”
🛒 A former Walmart worker has gone viral after offering advice on how to get hired at Walmart and which positions are best to work in.
📀 End your streaming fatigue and go back to the basics with these DVD and Blu-Ray releases.*
🥤 A Chick-fil-A worker on the night shift learned that managers were getting smoothies for team member appreciation week—but then her and the rest of her night shift co-workers were allegedly shafted by management.
💼 With recent economic volatility, many people are finding different jobs they might not have planned on having, as their previous or current job is not quite cutting it.
📹 From the Daily Dot archive: Here’s how local governments are surveilling their workers.
*The Daily Dot may receive a commission in connection with purchases of products or services featured here.
👋 Before you go
Sometimes the only thing keeping fast food from actually being fast is the customer.
Popular TikTok creator Mario Scott (@cactusmvrkss), who’s found viral success with content about the trials and tribulations of working at McDonald’s, recently posted a video about indecisive customers, and it has resonated with viewers. The video has almost 95,000 views and more than 22,000 likes.
In the comedy skit, Scott wears a headset and acts like he’s taking drive-thru orders. The text on the screen follows a familiar format. It says “Nobody:” and the party taking unprompted action in the scenario is “Indecisive customers who can’t make a decision on what they want.”
