the killer twitter feature nobody wants

Hello, geeks!

Welcome to this week’s edition of Geekout.

I’m starting to think this might be the best new Twitter feature idea ever.

Why? Because it’s been another chaotic week for 51-year old man-baby Elon Musk’s Twitter.

Aside from a major platform outage, and pissing off EU regulators for handing it half-completed homework (more on this in a moment)…

…Elon just threw his toys out the pram because people have stopped liking his tweets [insert eyeroll gif].

I’m starting to think this might be the best new Twitter feature idea ever.

In other news…

• ChatGPT is telling people lies about me.

• Twitter is about to upset EVERY social media manager

• How to access the hot new app from the creators of Instagram

• 174 AI tools you can try for free today

BEFORE WE GET STARTED… 

This is pretty sick!… Vista Social just added a NEW AI Assistant powered by ChatGPT.

Vista’s new ‘Dynamic Content’ tool helps you quickly generate and publish unique content for each social network using A.I.-generated text or post captions.

Get ready to save hours every week and finally have the time to jump into more social media conversations as they're happening!

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Let’s get into it… Here are this week’s hottest headlines in social:

🔥 GEEKOUT HOT 5

1. Elon Musk Fired Twitter Staff Because Users Stopped Liking His Tweets [MAN-BABY]

2. Meta’s Horizon Metaverse Struggling To Keep Users Coming Back [SNOOZEVILLE]

3. Twitter Plans To Charge Biz $1,000 A Month For Verification [TICKED-OFF]

4. Mastadon Lost 1+ Million Users In Past Two Months [MASTA-EXIT]

5. Twitter Angered EU Regulators With Incomplete DisInfo Report [HOMEWORK FAIL]

My RSS feed reader checks 200+ news sources, publishing 1,000+ social media related articles and updates every single day. I’ve checked them all, so you don’t have to.

Here’s everything worthy of your attention from the past seven days:

Instagram expanded access to its Reels-focused tipping ‘Gifts’ feature… Other new Instagram features spotted in the wild this week include: Share Reels with followers-only option, a new Stories memories feature, and Pinch-to-Zoom in Stories.

WhatsApp launched five new updates for its stories-like ‘Status’ feature… Other new WhatsApp features currently being tested include: Auto-transcribe voice notes (my friends will be thankful for this, I use voice notes a lot!)... Call scheduling feature, Pinned messages in group chats, and a hands-free video recording mode.

Twitter started testing 4,000 character tweets (Twitter Blue subscribers-only)... But Jane Manchun Wong managed to post a 26,000 character tweet (please no)... Elon Musk warned (again) Twitter legacy verified blue ticks will be removed soon… And confirmed plans to start sharing ad revenue with creators (Twitter Blue subscribers-only… again).

Twitter’s mobile apps will now no longer default to the algorithmic feed… Twitter DID NOT set a new limit on the maximum number of tweets, DMs, and followers an account can make per day (my tweet got fact-checked. I blame The Hollywood Reporter!)... You may soon be able to earn Twitter Coins and convert them into Twitter Diamonds (this is a terrible idea)... And Twitter’s ‘Views’ counter has a big accuracy problem...

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TikTok added a hashtag filter to block specific videos from appearing in your feed… TikTok also launched new ‘Promote’ targeting and boosting features for advertisers… TikTokkers are posting videos with intentional errors to drive engagement (a very old SMM engagement tactic returns).

YouTube added a locate comments feature (useful for admins of popular YT channels)... YouTube creators can now reply to comments with a Shorts video… And you can now book YouTube’s super-premium ‘Masthead’ ad spot by the hour (if you can afford it!)

Congress hearing testimony revealed Donald Trump asked Twitter to remove a Chrissy Teigan tweet calling him a ‘pussy ass bitch’ (😆)... Google Search’s podcast carousel is being removed on Feb 13…. Apple co-founder ‘Woz’ thinks Elon Musk wants to be like a cult leader…

…And finally…

Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts are back. 🥳😏

DID YOU SEE… 👀

• 🔥 POPULAR: Get Breaking Social Media News Alerts Via WhatsApp [REQUEST INVITE]

• ⏰ LINKEDIN: The Best Time To Post On Linkedin In 2023 [REVEAL ANSWER]

• ⚠️ PRO TIPS: Content Moderation In 2023: Top Tools, Expert Tips, FAQs [SHOW ME]

• ⏱️ TIKTOK: What's The Optimum Length For A TikTok [TELL ME]

Alrighty folks… Let’s jump into the biggest developments in social that everyone’s talking about.

Keep scrolling for Geekout’s analysis of this week’s hottest headlines. Coming up next 👇

Matt

🚨 Everyone's talking about...

Tesla and SpaceX helped build an image of Elon Musk as a business genius.

But just like that guy you know who turned into a vaccine conspiracy theorist after spending too long indoors looking at Facebook during lockdown, it feels like too much time on social media has melted away much of what many liked about Musk.

The story from Platformer (above) about him firing engineers who told him the declining popularity of his tweets was because he’s less popular, rather than a bug, paints a picture of a shallow, insecure leader rather than a bold visionary.

And this week’s major outage was part of a pattern of increasing instability that has unhappy Twitter coders speaking out about what has been described as a “recurring code loop nightmare”.

When insiders warned that Twitter would slowly break down rather than suddenly stop working after Musk got rid of most of the company’s staff, this is what they were talking about.

Meanwhile, Twitter’s urgent push for greater revenue continues. It’s been asking companies for a whopping $1,000 per month for its gold checkmarks, plus $50 per month for verification of each affiliated account.

Musk has said again that legacy blue checkmark badges are going away soon. But with the new Blue offering struggling to attract a big customer base, will many of the old ‘bluechecks’ pay just to get their ‘status’ symbol back?

Musk’s suggestion that Twitter will share revenue for ads in the replies of Blue subscribers’ tweets sounds good until you remember that you’re paying for Twitter to give you (an unknown amount of) money. No wonder creators are suspicious.

Still, Musk says Twitter is “trending to breakeven”, and Pepsi says it is back advertising on Twitter because live discussions are important during big cultural moments like the Super Bowl.

So the core of what makes Twitter special is still there. It’s just a question of whether Musk can keep his fragile ego in check to make the most of it.

The problem with heavily hyping up the dream of the metaverse–which Mark Zuckerberg has admitted is years away from its potential– is that people expect to see progress towards that goal now.

If the metaverse is definitely going to be a big thing, surely we’d see signs of rapid user adoption and excitement about its early stages? Instead, we see big consulting firms stretching to include the success of online gaming as evidence of ‘the metaverse’ already being a big thing (no, that’s the games industry, and that’s fine).

Meanwhile, Meta’s flagship example of what metaverse experiences can become–Horiozon Worlds–is struggling.

And so Meta reportedly plans to open Horizon Worlds up to teenagers as young as 13. Given this is the Fortnite and Roblox generation, they might be more open to becoming regulars in Meta’s virtual world.

But even if they are, we’re still a long way away from the interconnected world of experiences Zuckerberg has promised. And the disillusionment is real. Another sign of the waning hype is Microsoft disbanding its industrial metaverse team after just four months. If Zuck’s dream is ever going to become reality, it’s still just too early for this stuff right now.

But you can never be too prepared, so Interpol is already figuring out how to police the metaverse. Watch out, wannabe-meta-crooks.

Mastodon saw a massive surge in interest after Twitter users fled Elon Musk’s takeover. But should Musk have a big smug grin now that the bump has become a slump?

It sounds bad for Mastodon, but to look at things another way, the platform might not retain every user who signed up to give it a try but it’s still benefitted massively from the chaos at Twitter.

Anyone who spends much time on Mastodon and the Fediverse will have noticed the levels of activity and engagement on there are way higher than they were a few months ago.

An alternative platform that is growing and thriving is a good thing for social media as a whole, even if Mastodon and the Fediverse at large won’t convince everyone to leave Twitter for good.

😆 LOL tweets

And…

• Every Twitter all-hands meeting in 2023

• Microsoft vs. google in 2023

• Twitter 2.0 is here

📈 Trending

De-influencers have been all over the media this week. But what are they? This article explains all…

Also:

• Twitter influencers are convinced adding a Spaces link to their tweets gives them a boost in the platform’s messed-up algorithm

👀 Watch this

Want to understand how YouTube’s revenue share for Shorts works? Colin and Samir went straight to the company for answers.

🤦 Fail of the week

A non-stop, A.I.-generated Seinfeld show sounds like fun. And it was, until fake Jerry started spouting transphobia…

Also:

• Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube all went down at the same time

• A Twitter Blue bug lets you keep your checkmark even if you stop paying

😮 WTF?!

“Over the last month, a new kind of uncanny content has been flooding YouTube: Intros to animated series and TV shows recreated with AI-produced images, made to look like they came from another decade.”

🗣️ Industry chatter

What do creators make of Twitter’s plan to give a revenue share on ads displayed in their replies when they subscriber to Blue?

“I don’t have an econ degree but typically when people say if you give me money I’ll give you money it’s a scam.”

🔨 Tool of the week

This is one of the best AI-powered email assistants i've tried so far... And it's free (for now).

🧐 Crazy quotes

In last week’s newsletter, I predicted the Chinese spy balloon drama would be used as ammunition against TikTok. I’m sad to say I was right…

🧵 Top threads

I’ve shared some useful stats on Twitter this week. Tap through for the full threads.

Also:

• Social Media Stats 2023 for the United Kingdom

❓️ Question of the week

ChatGPT has led a wave of A.I. hype is recent weeks. With Microsoft and Google racing to build generative A.I. into their products, we could all see real benefits from this kind of tech every day in the near future.

But how could it help you…? Tap through to get involved 👇

💡 New feature spotlight

There are some really useful new things on the way from TikTok for creators…

👀 Must-read of the week

Social media managers: don’t be shy about reposting your greatest hits. Here’s why…

💬 You can quote me on that

When I’m mention in the news, you’ll find it here…

Is the metaverse a natural extension of social media, or are we all being misled? I shared my thoughts with Immersive Wire…

📈 Charts of the week

Also:

• Which countries are most sceptical of the metaverse

• Almost 40% of all internet users are logging into Facebook every day

• For the first time there will be more Gen Z than Gen X monthly social users in the US in 2023

• Pinterest’s (small) growth in chart form

📊 Stat of the week

No wonder Elon’s feeling ‘Blue’….

Also:

• How much ads on Amazon, Google, Facebook, YouTube, Snap, and TikTok cost in Q4 2022

• Meta is cutting down on its lawyers of management by asking some managers to get back to making things or leave. [Bloomberg $$$]

• Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts are now back. [NBC News]

• WhatsApp spam is getting out of control in India. [Android Central]

• Meta can be sued by an ex-moderator who alleges the work harmed his mental health, a judge has ruled. [BBC News]

• Meta has settled a lawsuit over its ‘infinity’ logo. [Reuters $$$]

• Guns were being sold in Indian Facebook Groups devoted to religious extremists. Meta eventually took them down. [Wall Street Journal $$$]

New features and tests:

Facebook:

• Facebook is testing “recommended times” for post scheduling in Professional Mode. [@oncescuradu]

• Facebook Page admins can stop new members from posting until 24 hours after they join. [@ahemenghanem]

Instagram:

• Instagram has expanded its Gifts feature to more creators in the US. [TechCrunch]

• Instagram has been spotted offering Snapchat-style Story memories. [@JackHorwood]

• Instagram is working on the ability to pinch-to-zoom on Stories. [@alex193a]

• Instagram is developing a ‘Color filter’ accessibility setting. [@alex193a]

• Instagram could soon let you share a Reel only with your followers. [@alex193a]

• Instagram has been spotted offering Channel creation from the Create menu. [@ahmedghanem]

• Instagram now has a Super Bowl chat theme. [@ahemdghanem]

Messenger:

• Messenger has been spotted offering ‘chat heads’ on desktop. [@chrismessina]

WhatsApp:

• WhatsApp has launched five new status update features, including a private audience selector and voice status. [MacRumors]

• WhatsApp is testing pinned messages in chats. [WABetaInfo]

• WhatsApp is working on voice note transcription. [@WABetaInfo]

• WhatsApp is working on a call scheduling feature. [WABetaInfo]

• WhatsApp is testing hands-free video recording on iOS. [WABetaInfo]

VR, adtech, and more:

• Meta plans to open up Horizon Worlds to 13-17 year olds as soon as March. [Wall Street Journal $$$]

•  …but social media research will be harder. [NPR]

• … and Twitter has cut off API access for Movetodon, a tool to help users migrate to Mastodon. [TechDirt]

• Twitter is not playing ball with the EU over disinformation monitoring. [Bloomberg $$$]

• Turkey has restored access to Twitter after the government blocked it in the wake of the earthquakes there this week. [Reuters $$$]

• Donald Trump asked Twitter to delete Chrissy Teigen’s tweet calling him a “pussy ass bitch”, it has been revealed. [BuzzFeed News]

• …and there were more interesting insights from the House GOP hearing with former Twitter execs with week, too. [New York Times $$$]

• Elon Musk’s pledge to remove all child abuse content from Twitter is not going well. [New York Times $$$]

• Elon Musk has ordered a development pause to emphasise platform stability ahead of the Super Bowl. [The Information $$$]

• The US government is not investigating Elon Musk’s Twitter purchase, despite questions over its foreign investors. [Washington Post $$$]

• …but the EU’s top diplomat has fired a warning shot at Elon Musk over Twitter disinformation. [TechCrunch]

• …and European regulators are “engaging” with Twitter following complaints from users that it’s ignoring requests to delete their direct messages. [TechCrunch]

• Twitter UK has failed to file its corporate accounts by the deadline. [Bloomberg $$$]

• Glitches with Twitter’s Circle feature have some users worried about their privacy. [TechCrunch]

• Elon Musk was found not liable in the trial over his nortorious tweets about taking Tesla private. [Wall Street Journal $$$]

• The number of ex-staff suing Twitter goes up daily, according to a lawyer representing many of them. [BBC News]

• …but Twitter is being accused of sabotaging the arbitration process. [Bloomberg $$$]

• Twitter has been told to label its in-office bedrooms as sleeping areas or restore them to offices. [Insider]

New features and tests:

• Twitter is testing 4,000 character tweets in the US, but only Blue subscribers will be able to create them. [Gizmodo]

• TweetDeck could become Blue-exclusive, according to a code snippet shared around this week. [@TitterTakeover]

• Twitter no longer forces its algorithmic timeline as default on iOS and Android. [The Verge]

• Twitter’s developer community website is now behind a login after announcing its new API pricing. [TechCrunch]

• Twitter seems close to launching its Coins feature. [@nima_owji]

• Twitter is still working on the ability to send gifts. [@alex193a]

• …and it seems gifts can be sent anonymously. [@alex193a]

• Twitter has expanded Blue to India, Indonesia, and Brazil. [TechCrunch]

• Twitter is exploring how to make using lists more intuitive. [@ehikian]

• Twitter has launched an #AppleMusic hashflag ahead of the Super Bowl. [9to5Mac]

• TikTok’s limited music library test in Australia has frustrated creators. [The Guardian]

• A Russian disinformation operation targeted TikTok with anti-Ukranian content in Europe, the company says. [Bloomberg $$$]

• Joe Biden says he is not sure whether the US will ban TikTok. [Reuters $$$]

• Texas is the latest US state to ban TikTok From state government devices. [Gizmodo]

• The French Senate is opening a commission of inquiry into TikTok’s influence. [Reuters $$$]

• TikTok expects it will be subject to stricter EU online content rules when they come into force. [Reuters $$$]

• Police in Mexico have been on alert for a TikTok drug challenge… that doesn’t seem to be real. [Rest of World]

• TikTok COO, V Pappas has spoken out about identifying as non-binary. [@v_ness]

New features and tests:

• TikTok has been spotted offering an ‘Edit post’ button to allow creators to change text after publication, an ‘auto scroll’ option, and ‘save videos without watermark’ feature. [@MattNavarra]

• …but you can only edit posts once per day for up to seven days after publication. [@MattNavarra]

• TikTok has added new targeting and boosting features to its Promote advertising tool. [TechCrunch]

• TikTok is rolling out FYP hashtag filters. [@ahmedghanem]

• TikTok has divided the feed into three sections for some users: Friends, Following, and For You. [@ahmedghanem]

• TikTok is testing controls to add age restrictions and sticker creation support to videos. [@ahmedghanem]

• ByteDance is testing a food delivery service via the Chinese version of TikTok. [CNBC]

💥 More social media news and updates

• Pinterest is pushing for a slice of the shortform video market. [Digiday $$$]

• Snap’s next Partner Summit will take place on 19 April. [Social Media Today]

• Zenly’s co-founder is back with a new social app startup called Amo. [TechCrunch]

• BeReal has hired Twitter’s former privacy chief. [Reuters $$$]

• Spillt is a new social cooking app from a former Instagram engineer. [The Information $$$]

• Warner Music Group will host a Super Bowl concert on Roblox. [TubeFilter]

Insights to give you an edge at work:

• LinkedIn has published a guide to B2B marketing KPIs. [Social Media Today]

New features and tests:

• Snapchat has announced Super Bowl lenses and Bitmoji clothing, plus Spotlight Challenges for NFL superfans. [TubeFilter]

• Snapchat has been spotted offering access to a ‘Made For Me Panel’ for early access to new products and features. [@ahmedghanem]

• Snapchat now offers ‘New Private Story’ and ‘New Shared Story’ options. [@techjalal]

• YouTube has launched new ways to buy its prized Cost-Per-Hour Masthead ad spot. [Google Ads & Commerce blog]

• YouTube is rolling out a 'Reply to comment with Shorts' feature on iOS. [@MattNavarra]

• Twitch has a new chat history feature. [The Verge]

• Reddit has released themed avatars for the Super Bowl. [Social Media Today]

• Telegram now offers an annual Premium subscription and has rolled out a bunch of new features. [@ahemedghanem]

📖 Weekend reading

• It’s time for influencers to be real

• What the US can learn from India’s TikTok ban

• For better and for worse, Elon Musk is his own spokesman

• Instagram memers are performing in sold-out live shows

• 6 reasons why excitement over the metaverse is

• Elon Musk’s plans to limit API access might be good for Twitter’s business, but it’s bad for the open internet

• TikTok’s secret menus are driving food-service workers nuts

😳 And finally...

Last week, I revealed how my ADHD is a social media manager super power.

Watch and learn:

• How I got diagnosed with ADHD at age 27

• The impact ADHD had on my career

• My ADHD life hacks

• How I use my ADHD as a superpower

• …plus a live Q&A with Social Media Managers

📅 Back next week...

If you have ADHD, your hyperfocus just nailed it OR high-five to the meds! 🙌🏻

…Because you’ve managed to reach the end of this week’s Geekout! ✅

Right… Time for me to go check if Elon’s suspended my Twitter account yet (it’s only a matter of time).

Goodbye geeks!

– Matt

_______

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This newsletter is edited by Martin SFP Bryant