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Hello fellow citizens of the internet! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr.
Our top stories today are about America’s Next Top Model discourse, Facebook, an Indeed horror story, and the origins of the ‘Dark Brandon‘ meme.
Plus, we’ve got our weekly “Dirty Delete” column from our Politics Reporter Claire.
Let’s get to it. See you tomorrow!
— A.W.
⚡ Today’s top stories
‘PLUS SIZE????!!’: 2003 ‘America’s Next Top Model’ clip sparks debate about body image
Tyra Banks is an iconic internet figure, and America’s Next Top Model has provided years of meme material. But we’re reassessing early aughts pop culture, and a clip from the long-running show is being dissected (again).
Facebook handed over a teen’s DMs to police, who then arrested her for having an abortion
Police in Nebraska charged a 17-year-old and her mother after obtaining Facebook messages.
TikToker shares Indeed job horror story, prompting discussion about unsafe working conditions
A TikToker shares the job he got “mixing chemicals” on Indeed, prompting other users to share their own experiences working for jobs they applied to on the popular online job board.
Chinese propaganda or Nazi imagery? Dark Brandon memes face disputed origins
The Dark Brandon’s meme origin story came under scrutiny.
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🗳️ Dirty Delete
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 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.
🍗 A woman says Zaxby’s served her fried paper with her order of fried chicken.
☕ This barista says her job lied to her about the reason it fired her.
🏢 A young woman’s video about working at Staples has drawn more than 742,000 views on TikTok, where viewers are chiming in with reasons they did or did not like working there.
🥝 Ninja shares his best advice for aspiring creators. If you want more stories like this, subscribe to the Passionfruit newsletter.
💡 Make tonight the Cage of Enlightenment with the top 10 must-watch Nicolage Cage movies you can stream right now.*
👩⚕️ A nurse is going viral for saying healthcare workers aren’t willing to deal with monkeypox patients.
👗 A microinfluencer says a brand asked her to style a look from her own wardrobe for free.
🙅♀️ This TikToker is going viral for explaining why men saying they are “consultants” is a dating red flag.
🏳️🌈 Here’s how a Sims 2 fan forum became an unwitting safe space for queer creatives.
*The Daily Dot may receive a commission in connection with purchases of products or services featured here.
👋 Before you go
A TikToker and former human resources worker’s video about what it is like to work under a millennial-aged manger went viral and sparked a conversation about the generational gap in work flexibility attitudes.
🎶 Now Playing: “Boris The Spider” by The Who 🎶