Hello fellow web crawlers! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr.
Our top stories today are about: How Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz’s dog somehow became part of a MAGA conspiracy theory, how accidentally committing a crime at Ashley Furniture came back to haunt someone, a driver alleging that Enterprise Rent-a-Car tried to scam her, and how the internet reacted the rumored return of Ted Lasso for season four.
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
Tim Walz petted a dog that wasn’t his—and the far-right absolutely lost it
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) adopted a dog named Scout after getting elected. Scout is a black Labrador retriever and Walz frequently posts pictures of him on social media. That should be the end of the story, but a post from a trip to the dog park sparked a fake controversy.
🛋️ WTF
‘A whole felony’: Woman accidentally commits crime after shopping at Ashley Furniture. Here’s how to avoid making the same mistake
A woman went viral after revealing how failing to pay for an Ashley Furniture couch led to her unexpected arrest and a felony charge that haunted her for years.
🚗 SCAMS
‘I no longer rent from that company’: Driver warns against Enterprise Rent-a-Car after they allegedly tried to scam her
A woman says she’s never going to rent from Enterprise Rent-a-Car again—or rent a car at all, for that matter—after alleging that the rental car chain tried to scam her.
📺 POP CULTURE
‘Burn this project to the ground’: The internet reacts to the rumored return of ‘Ted Lasso’ for Season 4
The hit Apple show’s resurgence has led to some mixed responses from the good folk of the Internet.
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By Kira Deshler
Assistant Newsletter Editor
Chappell Roan TikToks spark debate about toxic fan behavior
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.
✈️ Viewers are trying to silence this TikToker after he shared a gatekeep-worthy travel hack. The worried viewers say the airlines will start to catch on once his post goes viral.
🍽️ A TikToker posted a viral video revealing what she hears poor people discuss at dinner vs. what she hears rich people discuss at dinner. After explaining her reasoning, viewers are divided.
🏋️ This Crunch Fitness customer went viral after detailing her less-than-ideal experience returning to the gym.
🍟 Chick-fil-A has to come out and say it amid viral misinformation: The waffle fries aren’t going away.
🍻 When you’re having a great night at the bar and your social battery has run out, it can be easy to walk out of the joint without remembering to close your tab. But according to this bartender, you may want to think twice about not closing yourself out.
🦠 From the Daily Dot archive: Here are the viral marketing campaigns that helped shape the internet as we know it.
📝 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.
SHOULD FANS RESPECT THE ON-AND-OFF STAGE BOUNDARIES OF FAMOUS ARTISTS?
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🤳 Today’s Viral Video
Michael Keaton’s process in creating Beetlejuice.
