Newsletter: 🧍‍♂️ Elon Musk moves like a ‘Sims’ character

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Hello fellow web crawlers! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr. 

Our top stories today are about: Why people think Elon Musk acts like a character in The Sims, a woman’s strange discovery about her pasta, why TikTok users think blocking Facebook changes their feeds, and conspiracy theorists rejoicing over the declassification of the JFK files. 

After that, our Assistant Newsletter Editor Kira has a “Decoding Fandom” column for you. 

See you tomorrow! 

— A.W. 

⚡ Today in Internet Culture

👤 VIRAL POLITICS
‘Put him in a pool and delete the ladder’: People think Elon Musk’s gestures are giving off serious Sims NPC vibes

Elon Musk’s controversial salute continues to trend on social media, and with it has come a deeper dive into how the tech billionaire moves and gestures—particularly their resemblance to Sim characters from video games.

➤READ MORE

🍝 WTF
‘Why is it like that?’: Woman opens new box of Barilla elbow pasta. Then she pours it out

The gently bent, golden arms of elbow pasta have a very specific appearance. So it comes as no surprise that someone would be upset when the pasta is a brown-gray color. 

➤READ MORE

📱 TECH
TikTok users think blocking Facebook changes their FYP—here’s what we know

Videos showing how to block the Facebook account on TikTok are trending hard.

➤READ MORE

🔍 CONSPIRACY
JFK files declassified: Conspiracy theorists rejoice while memes run wild

Kept classified for over 60 years, many have debated if what is currently public knowledge on these momentous historical events is actually what occurred. In that same timeframe, jokes about conspiracy theories have also surfaced, with news of the declassification churning more LOLs online.

➤READ MORE

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By Kira Deshler
Assistant Newsletter Editor

Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande fans go head to head in Oscars debate

In each edition of web_crawlr we have exclusive original content every day. On Wednesdays our Assistant Newsletter Editor Kira Deshler dives deep into the world of fan culture in her “Decoding Fandom” 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.

📦 In a viral video, a UPS driver revealed the real reason your package might arrive late.

🛒 Apparently, Costco’s notoriously generous return policy doesn’t apply to this guy, but why?

🥩 This Texas Roadhouse customer’s steak order has viewers concerned. That’s because the customer requested a blue steak, aka extra, extra rare.

🛋️ A woman’s negative review of Ashley Furniture’s Rawcliffe three-piece sectional couch sparked a conversation about the brand’s quality.

☕ This duo was excited to see a fancy kitchen gadget on sale at HomeGoods. That’s until they realized what was actually in the Breville espresso machine box.

👶 From the Daily Dot archive: The many lives of the Dancing Baby, cyberspace’s first cringe meme.

📝 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 PLAYED ‘THE SIMS’?

To answer questions like this in the future, sign up for web_crawlr here.

🤳 Today’s Viral Video

🎶 Now Playing: “successful” by Ariana Grande 🎶