Skechers now making sneakers with a hidden pocket for AirTags
Are parents going too far?
Happy Wednesday!
Here are the latest trending internet culture stories today:
The discourse is piping hot after Sketchers announced sneakers that can conceal AirTag trackers, the whole Wizard of Oz at The Sphere ordeal has sparked some brutal cinematic memes, and people are outraged over Jim Acosta’s “interview” with an AI-generated victim of the Parkland school shooting.
See you tomorrow!
— W.J.
⚡️ Today in Internet Culture
Skechers made kids’ sneakers with a hidden pocket for AirTags. Are parents going too far?
Skechers has released a line of children’s sneakers with hidden compartments designed to hold Apple AirTags. Although marketed as a way to help parents locate lost shoes, critics argue that the new “Find My Skechers” shoes are more about surveillance parenting and digital overreach than about misplaced footwear.
The new shoes resemble standard Skechers fare, but under the insoles is a small compartment designed to conceal an AirTag. This Apple device will track anything it’s attached to via a smartphone app. The shoe company calls this new line “Find My Skechers” and bills it as a way to find lost sneakers.
“Grand things are happening in the world of cinema”: The internet is losing their minds over “Wizard of Oz at The Sphere” memes
It was recently announced that the classic movie The Wizard of Oz will be screened at The Sphere in Las Vegas. However, this screening comes with a twist — it is restoring and “enhancing” the film with AI. This has caused a great deal of controversy, but now the backlash seems to have transitioned into memes.
“Profoundly gross”: Jim Acosta slammed over interview with deceased AI-generated school shooting victim
On Monday, ex-CNN anchor Jim Acosta released an interview that quickly divided public opinion. In the video, Acosta spoke with an AI-generated version of Joaquin Oliver, a student who was killed during the 2018 Parkland school shooting. The conversation aired on what would have been Oliver’s 25th birthday.
🕸️ Crawling the Web
🎧 The comments about wireless headphones by Kamala Harris on Stephen Colbert’s Late Show have a lot of people spooked (myself included).
🚙 A TikTok video fueled controversy after a man filmed himself sitting in the car while another flirted with his wife by pumping her gas.
🍼 Euphoria’s Dominic Fike brought his child on stage during his Lollapalooza set, but critics are calling the act “performative.”
🎶 The ever-popular Lofi Girl just “graduated,” but listeners are wondering what it could mean for the beloved YouTube channel.
🚯 An Amazon customer posted a photo of her package, delivered not to her door, but into a trash bin. Of course, it was marked “secure.”
🫸 Almost as if on cue, Donald Trump crashed out on Truth Social over Charlamagne tha God’s Jeffrey Epstein comments on Fox News.
🍵 Performative matcha: it’s a genuine concern, and you heard it here first.
🔥 Hot on the Dot
This was the most-read story on the Daily Dot yesterday:
➤ "I am sickened": Widow opens up after getting cruel text from husband's friend on his funeral day