Daily Dot Newsletter: Barista’s ‘medicine ball’ freakout

Hello fellow citizens of the internet! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr. 

Our top stories today are about a worker showing what working at Amazon during “peak” hours looks like, a deep dive into the “me when I was a baby” trend on TikTok, a Twitter alternative being forced to shut down over security concerns, and a viral video about a barista being upset with a customer over a “medicine ball.”

After that, our IRL Reporter Tricia has her “Problematic on TikTok” column. 

See you tomorrow! 

— A.W. 

⚡ Today’s top stories

📦 LABOR
‘Guy in orange knowing we all get paid the same’: Amazon worker shares what it’s like to work ‘during peak’

A video showing a chaotic working environment in an Amazon warehouse has sparked discussion after being posted online.

➤  READ MORE

👶 SOCIAL MEDIA
The origin of the ‘Me when I was a baby’ TikTok trend

Here’s why everyone on TikTok thinks a mysterious white puppet with a pointy green cap is “Me when I was a baby.”

➤  READ MORE

💻 TECH
Twitter alternative Hive forced to shut down over security vulnerabilities

The app was leaking private messages, posts, images, phone numbers, emails, and more.

➤  READ MORE 

☕ VIRAL
‘We get in trouble if we call it that’: Customer says Starbucks barista ‘verbally abused’ her after she ordered a ‘medicine ball’

A Starbucks customer claims she was “verbally abused” by a barista after she ordered a drink by its online moniker (“the medicine ball”) versus its actual name. 

➤  READ MORE 

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😬 Problematic on TikTok

By Tricia Crimmins

The problem with TikTok’s “ginger hair and freckles” filter

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 you inbox.

🕸️ Crawling the web

Here is what else is happening across the ‘net.

🥗 If you’ve ever had burning questions about Olive Garden, this former employee of 10 years is going viral for answering questions about the popular chain. 

🎯 A viral TikToker says Target recently had an “insane glitch” that discounted tablet devices for $59.

💰 The founder of the Lincoln Project is getting roasted online for asking his followers to pledge at least $5 a month to “save democracy.” 

🎮 Get to know the gaming world before you shop for the holiday season with the this gift guide for gamers.* 

☕ This Starbucks barista is warning other employees about hitting the “no tip” prompt before showing customers a tablet. 

👚 A former American Eagle Outfitters employee claims in a viral TikTok that she was fired over her personal TikTok.

🦠 From the Daily Dot archive: Here are the viral marketing campaigns that helped shape the internet as we know it.

📧 This worker says her senior colleague at work berated her after she corrected their grammatical mistakes in an email for a customer. 

*The Daily Dot may receive a commission in connection with purchases of products or services featured here.

👋 Before you go

Just because a popcorn bucket at the movies may be labeled as a “large,” doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get more popcorn than you would with a smaller size, one TikToker showed in a recent video. 

In a video that’s been viewed more than 470,000 times, a TikTok user who appears to work at an AMC Theatre location shows a comparison between two sizes of popcorn. 

🎶 Now Playing: “Casual” by Chapell Roan 🎶