Hello fellow citizens of the internet! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr.
Our top stories today are about: Former President Trump having a meltdown over actor Robert De Niro’s recent awards speech, an ex-burglar going viral for revealing ways to protect your home from theft, Swifties going down the rabbit hole again, and the person behind the viral “Is Kissinger Dead Yet?” account revealing themselves.
After that, our Senior Reporter Tricia has a “Problematic on TikTok” column for you.
See you tomorrow!
— A.W.
⚡ Today’s top stories
🗣️ POLITICS
Trump freaks out over Robert De Niro’s award speech
Former President Donald Trump is lashing out on social media over remarks made by recently famed actor Robert De Niro at the 33rd Gotham Awards.
👀 WTF
‘Here’s the checklist’: Ex-burglar reveals how she used to stake out homes to target—and what you should do
In a viral TikTok, a woman who served 10 years in prison for burglary revealed how to protect your home from theft.
🍷 CULTURE
Swifites are scrambling to find the Gaslighter wine
Earlier this week, a single photo of Taylor Swift, taken by producer Jack Antonoff, sent Swifties down a rabbit hole.
💬 VIRAL
‘It has been the honor of a lifetime’: Comedian reveals herself a creator of ‘Is Kissinger Dead Yet?’ account
After two years of regularly posting ‘no’ on its X account, Is Kissinger Dead Yet? (@DidKissingerD1e) finally had a different response. The person behind the account came forward after Kissinger’s death last week.
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😬 Problematic on TikTok
By Tricia Crimmins
Senior Reporter
Is Xiao Xiao being mistreated on the @ChineseJunkFood2023 account?
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 your inbox.
🕸️ Crawling the web
Here is what else is happening across the ‘net.
🍟 This woman says her boyfriend broke up with her after finding out that she worked at McDonald’s. She tried to get revenge.
🥪 A Panera Bread customer got shamed into changing her food order after the cashier questioned why she wanted more bread in addition to the sandwich she’d just ordered. Viewers are on the customer’s side.
💸 Requests for tips appear to be on the rise. And this viral video of a woman alleged that her father was prompted to tip at an auto mechanic’s shop after already paying $500 to fix a car.
🐶 There are a number of famous internet dogs, but perhaps none of them have captured the world’s attention in the way ‘side eye dog’ memes have.
🍴 A solo diner’s decision to share an uncomfortable experience she had over the holidays seems to have actually prompted some positive change.
💼 This tech CEO went viral for urging people to stop quitting their jobs. Here’s why.
🔪 This ‘champagne of pepper grinders‘ is the ultimate flex for bougie kitchens.*
🛒 A Walmart worker shared a viral video of his manager firing him for telling a customer to “Google it” when the customer asked him a question.
🌐 From the Daily Dot archive: Meet the users fighting NFT-based hate speech on the new internet.
*The Daily Dot may receive a commission in connection with purchases of products or services featured here.
📝 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.
HAVE YOU EVER SENT SOMEONE A LEONARDO DICAPRIO MEME?
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👋 Before you go
Workers are partaking in new labor trend on TikTok to share secrets, pet peeves, common tasks, and hacks surrounding their jobs. Two TJ Maxx workers who joined in on this trend let it slip that, yes—just as TJX Companies customers suspected—they do hide viral items for themselves.
Shoppers of stores like HomeGoods, Marshalls, and TJ Maxx have accused store employees of hiding coveted items so that they can take them home.
A shopper said they saw a worker walking around the store with a shopping cart that had the Hello Kitty Halloween blankets in it. Hello Kitty products, especially the Halloween blankets, are highly sought-after items and usually resell at a steep price. That same worker claimed they caught workers reselling the goods online.
Viewers largely sided with the workers at these stores, claiming that one of the perks of the job should be getting first dibs on inventory.
Now two TJ Maxx workers, TikTok user Norah (@n2003orah) and one of her co-workers, came out to confirm that they hide items and are unashamed about it.
