Hello fellow citizens of the internet! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr.
Our top stories today are about: A viral warning about a precise new scam, presidential hopeful Nikki Haley getting dunked on for her claim that America has “never been a racist country,” a trend researcher claiming that the wave of Stanley cup fandom may have already crested, and how Ryan Gosling continues to be a meme machine this awards season.
After that, our Senior Politics and Technology Editor David has his “Deplatformed” column for you.
Also, if you scroll down below we’ve got some information about an exclusive series our Hi-Res investigative division has been working on.
See you tomorrow!
— A.W.
⚡ Today’s top stories
💸 SCAMS
You really can’t trust your money in the bank anymore’: Discover customer gets verified call from her bank. It’s a precise new scam
A woman went viral for sharing how a precise new scam tricked her into losing $10,000 from her bank account.
🗳️ POLITICS
‘Use your real name then’: Nikki Haley’s claim America has ‘never been a racist country’ gets dunked on
GOP presidential candidate and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley claimed that America has “never been a racist country,” prompting a flurry of mocking social media posts.
🥤 VIRAL
‘It might as well be a designer purse’: Trend researcher shares why people are so obsessed with Stanley cups—and which brand will be the next craze
Over the past year, TikTok has been gripped by the Stanley water bottle craze. For those watching the Stanley saga unfold, it may seem like the bottle has reached its peak popularity. However, one user on TikTok claims that the wave of Stanley fandom may have already crested.
🎬 CULTURE
Ryan Gosling becomes an instant meme with his latest award win reaction
He may just be Ken, but Ryan Gosling is also the dream meme machine that keeps on giving this awards season.
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🚉 Deplatformed
By David Covucci
Politics & Technology Editor
Deplatformed: The Klaus Schwab takedown that didn’t happen
Deplatformed is a weekly column that looks into the nether reaches of the internet—outside the big few that everyone already covers—to tell you the political discourse online. It runs on Thursdays 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.
🍔 One stay-at-home mom recently decided to demand full value for her hard-earned dollars after a disappointing trip to McDonald’s. But was her second trip through the drive-thru worth the anxiety?
🌴 If your idea of a peaceful and relaxing honeymoon at a beautiful island resort doesn’t include throngs of employees constantly harassing you for add-on services, then you should probably avoid picking Sandals for your vacation.
💵 One shopper found proof that Hobby Lobby was putting different prices on the same products. Her video about it got nearly 900,000 views.
☕ A Starbucks employee recently went viral when she showcased how workers will transfer mobile orders into customers’ personal cups.
📦 In a poignant video, a TikToker shares the unfortunate news of his termination from Amazon. The former Amazon worker’s dismissal stems from a previous video humorously requesting customers to refrain from ordering heavy items.
👞 A woman shares a TikTok revealing an unexpected discovery about her UGG boots that she’s owned for six years: they’re fake.
🍴 A user on TikTok has sparked discussion after explaining why he didn’t split the check at a birthday dinner.
📰 Exclusive
Naziland: A four-part series examining right-wing radicals’ impact on communities nationwide
Over the last several months, the Daily Dot’s investigative reporter Claire Goforth traveled to places around the country where far-right extremists have relocated in recent years. Their movements are part of an ideological migration currently sweeping the nation. This series examines the impact extremists are having on communities in West Virginia, Idaho, Maine, and Florida—and what, if anything, the locals are doing to resist the radicals in their midst.
➤ Part one, West Virginia: “Anti-immigrant power couple has big plans to shape U.S. laws—from their castle in West Virginia”
➤ Part two, Idaho: “’You have to take the little towns first’: White nationalism infiltrates Idaho Republicans, where the ‘Christian Taliban’ is gaining influence
➤ Part three, Maine: “’He knows when to use humor; he can be very friendly and nice’: The neo-Nazi up the road”
➤ Part four, Florida: “’They do have blood on their hands. And they will have more’: A sunny haven for white nationalists”
📝 Question of the Day
Everyone’s got opinions, and we want to know yours. Just click a button below to answer the question, and tomorrow we will let you know how fellow web crawlers like you answered.
DID YOU SEE ANY OF THE (MANY) MEMES THAT CAME FROM THE 2023 EMMY AWARDS?
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