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Hello, geeks!

🎶 “It’s coming home, It’s coming home…”

Sorry. As an England fan, I’m getting carried away following our Euro 2024 semi-final win earlier this week. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 ⚽️

Before we get into this week’s Geekout…

TikTok just added an amazing FREE tool to research creators ✨

It's shocking this has only just been added! » Check it out « 😯

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It’s been a busy week for the big social media platforms this week.

No BIG news headlines. BUT a lot of very interesting developments and hot new features spotted in the wild.

I’ve captured and listed them ALL below. We’ll get into that in a moment.

Here are a few less serious, fun things I spotted in my feeds in the past seven days:

Threads has a HOT new piece of swag users are desperate to get their hands on. Who do I need to flirt with at Instagram to get me one of these, Mosseri? 🔥 Check it out here.

Elon Musk is throwing shade at Mark Zuckerberg (again). Seriously Zuck, get the dude in that MMA ring and end this. Please! 🥊

Meanwhile, Zuck bragged that he's the most world’s most well-known millennial. He might just be right. ⭐️

I think we need a new emoji to use when mentioning AI. The ✨ and 🤖 is all we got. Suggestions welcomed.

This mashup of all the WILD AI animated iconic memes is worth a watch. 👀

And finally… I enjoy using Threads. But this one core feature really sucks right now. Is it just me? Tell me I’m wrong. 😡

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DON’T MISS THIS…

Agorapulse is hosting a seriously useful FREE event for social media marketers next week.

I know there are a LOT of free webinars and events out there right now. And you have limited time to fit them in.

But I strongly recommend checking this one out.

I will be going. But spaces are limited. Take a look 👀👇

Social Media Agencies: How to boost revenue while doing less

The social experts at Agorapulse are going to show you how…. For free!

Stripping away complicated services and workflows is the fastest way to open the floodgates to more revenue, healthier profit margins, and better results for your clients. 

Not sure what that looks like for you…? 

Join Agorapulse for their free online Agency Summit 2024 on July 18th at 12 pm EST / 5 pm UK.

Featuring top experts from brands like TikTok, Google, LinkedIn, and Adobe, you’ll learn:

• How to drive more revenue from managed social media services 💰

• The key to templating content creation without sacrificing results 📊 

• How agencies can help businesses thrive on TikTok ✨

• Proven strategies to grow sustainably 👌

• How to leverage AI for marketing and operations 🤖

Enjoy discussion panels, live Q&As, and breakout sessions, and leave with actionable strategies you can implement immediately.

❗️Spaces are limited — save your spot today for free! [ad]

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🔥 GEEKOUT HOT 5

Geekout’s pick of the hottest headlines in social this week:

2. Instagram Is Sticking To Focus On Short Videos Says Boss Adam Mosseri [SHORT-FORMING]

3. TikTok Advertisers No Longer Able To Reach Teens In The US Using Personalized Ad Targeting [RESTRICTING]

4. US House Agrees to Release Transcript Of Closed-Door Hearing On Threats Posed By TikTok [DECLASSIFYING]

5. EU Accuses Elon Musk’s X of Deceptive Practices Over Blue ‘Checkmarks’ [REGULATING]

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Featuring everything you need to know to stay on top of channels like Google, YouTube, Meta, TikTok or SEO.

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And it’s also one of my favourite newsletters. ❤️

Boost your marketing IQ for free.

Get Stacked Marketer in YOUR inbox today.

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🚨 EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT…

Really: how successful is(n’t) X?

The graph above from the FT paints a stark picture of X’s growth under Elon Musk: there really hasn’t been much at all. According to the company’s own figures, it’s only grown 1.6% in daily active users over the past year.

And that’s as Threads grows, and many potential users of X opt to discuss current affairs on TikTok or other social video platforms instead.

As a private company, X doesn’t need to provide the kind of accurate figures Meta does. The company is happy to spin its data in all sorts of ways that make it look better, but as Andrew Hutchinson over at Social Media Today regularly points out, the company’s unusual metrics and sketchy figures make it hard to take anything the company does seriously.

X still seems bullish about the future. It continues to obtain money transmission licences in US states as it edges towards Elon Musk’s vision of an ‘everything app’. And it’s making product moves like a button-free design (just like the inside of a Tesla, it’s not a look that’s right for everyone), while a dislike button for replies looks to be on the horizon, too.

But overall, it seems Musk is learning the hard way something he was told again and again when he bought Twitter: social media is harder than it looks.

His bold prediction of being able to grow X (then called Twitter) to more than 1 billion monthly within 18 months (a prediction he made 20 months ago) seems no more likely than when he made it.

Calling for “criminal prosecution” of people who organise advertising boycotts against X just looks weak. Like with the short sellers he attacks at Tesla, he’s looking to distract attention away from the fact he repeatedly falls far short of his own hype.

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✨ NEW & NOTEWORTHY

Everything else you need to know from the past seven days…

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💬 YOU CAN QUOTE ME ON THAT

When I’m quoted in the news, you’ll find it here:

I spoke to Business Insider about X’s volatile state, and how that could impact its staff and future business prospects:

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😆 LOL

We’ve all been there…

Meanwhile, on Threads…

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📈 MEMES

Joe Biden’s had a tough week as he faces pressure to drop out. Sounds like a perfect meme opportunity….

Meanwhile, in Germany, the England football team have had a very good week, getting into the Euro 2024 final this Sunday…

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🪧 BRANDS

When Marks & Spencer hired MARK Wright and SPENCER Matthews to front a new campaign… [Thanks to Annie-Mai Hodge for reminding me about this one]

@marksandspenceruk

Get it? You get it... @wrighty_ and @spencermatthews are about to blow your menswear minds.

Discount retailer Matalan responded in an appropriately low-budget but very funny way…

@matalan

Who needs Spencer & Mark when you’ve got Mat & Alan 😉 @Marks & Spencer #matalan #matalanclothing

Meanwhile, supermarket chain Aldi, which has a history of cake-related legal drama with Marks & Spencer, was NOT getting involved:

They do love to troll Marks & Spencer though…

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🌡️ VIRAL

This ‘challenge’ has reportedly resulted in the death of at least seven people…

Also:

• What is the ‘19 Theory’ on TikTok?

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❌ FAKE NEWS

PSA: If you’ve seen people claiming you can get paid for Snapchat-style streaks on TikTok… sorry, you can’t.

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🙊 WHAT DID YOU SAY?!

"May he continue to have fun on his yachts. I prefer to work."

– Elon Musk wasn’t impressed by Zuck’s surfboard-toting 4th of July celebration. Yawn 🥱

Also:

• Instagram isn’t going to focus on longform video because it might “undermine” the platform’s “core identity to connect people with friends,” said Mosseri

• Meta CTO Andrew ‘Boz’ Bosworth says his team invented Apple’s EyeSight feature in the Vision Pro

• Meta says it has ‘never thought about news’ as a way to counter misleading content on Facebook and Instagram… despite evidence to the contrary

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👀 MY FAV READS

Dan Slee is always worth a read. This article is packed with analysis from last week’s Labour landslide, particularly the role social media played…

• Fake news, AI slop and little human connection: What is Facebook these days?

• Mark Zuckerberg said he's the most well-known millennial in a newly revealed email. So, is he?

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😮 WTF?!

Meta doesn’t want to just hear your voice. It may want to feel it, too.

The company has filed a patent application for user authentication using a “combination of vocalization and skin vibration.”

Meta’s tech essentially uses additional biometrics — namely the “vibration of tissue” caused by speaking — in tandem with a voice to authenticate users.

Also:

• 4chan is using TikTok owner ByteDance's hidden AI app to generate p**n

• “Facebook keeps asking me to say ‘happy birthday’ to dead people”

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🤦 FAIL

Did the UK Conservative Party delete its X account this week? No, but X did. 😬

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🧵 UN-THREADED

To tie in with Threads’ first birthday last week, Adam Mosseri shared some of the logos the app could have had, but that didn’t make the cut…

You can find the full collection here.

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💼 YOU’RE HIRED!

Social media jobs worth checking out this week:

• ESPN is looking for a Social Media Specialist to “discover, develop, and distribute engaging content that will thrive on ESPN-branded social media accounts across Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook” [Bristol, CT, USA]

• Louis Vuitton needs a Senior Manager- Influencer Marketing. [New York City, NY, USA]

• BBC Studios wants to find a Social Media Coordinator. [London, UK]

• Zynga is looking for a Social Media Manager for a new Star Wars game! [Hybrid / London, UK]

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👌 PRO TIPS

It’s essential to keep up to date with the latest images sizes. Hootsuite has you covered.

• How to get your next idea using TikTok's creator search insights

• How to tailor influencer marketing to different generations

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🤖 SOCIAL A.I.

All the ways A.I. is transforming social media:

• WhatsApp will soon let Meta AI edit your photos for you

• YouTube now lets you easily remove any copyrighted music from your videos without affecting any other audio such as dialogues or sound effects

• LinkedIn is officially rolling out its own AI ad campaign tool called Accelerate

• Instagram seems to be rolling out its feature that lets creators create their own AI

• WhatsApp could soon get Live Translate feature powered by Samsung’s Galaxy AI

• Meta has created an efficient AI model for smartphones, called ‘MobileLLM’

• Meta now provides support for creators with AI

• Snapchat now offers ‘AI suggestions’ for creating public profile cover photos from desktop

• X plans to more deeply integrate Grok’s AI, with the ability to analyse profiles and specific words, and an always-open chatbot window

• Bumble users can now report profiles that use AI-generated photos

• Vimeo has joined YouTube and TikTok in launching new AI content labels

• Pestle's app can now save recipes from Reels using on-device AI

• Wimbledon has used AI to protect players from online abuse.

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📊 SOCIAL STATS

6 MINUTES ⏱️

– the amount of time users typically spent using Threads each day, compared to X at 23 minutes and Instagram at 36 minutes, as of June 2024.

• Influencer marketing is booming in 2024. Check out the stats

• TikTok disclosed it removed 43,000 pieces of content for violating misinformation rules during the recent EU elections

• 42 Facebook statistics and facts for 2024

• Consumer usage of social media platforms is shifting (again)

• Newer social apps are struggling to hold on to users: Lapse is down 32%, NGL is down 16%, and BeReal is down 3%

• TikTok bad actors are using AI to churn out political misinformation

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📈 CHARTED

• Five charts on Gen Z’s shopping habits across beauty, apparel, and more

• Meta and TikTok are top brand choices, but Snap is more cost-effective

• Shares new usage stats, claiming increases in users and engagement

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• Meta has worked with Vodafone to free up capacity on 11 of its European mobile networks by optimising the delivery of short-form video. [Reuters $$$]

• Meta has partnered with CMU to develop wearable sensing tech to to empower individuals with disabilities. [TechTimes]

New features and tests:

Facebook:

• Facebook now lets you customise the font size on the web from a mobile browser. [@theahemedghanem]

Instagram:

• Instagram has added a new feature to "Delete and copy to drafts" for reels, in addition to the previously rolled out "Duplicate reels as draft" feature. [@theahmedghanem]

• Instagram now highlights if the account you're texting is open for collaboration. [@theahmedghanem]

• Instagram has a revamped privacy centre. [@theahmedghanem]

Messenger:

• Messenger now has a section for Support conversations, separate from other conversations. [@theahmedghanem]

WhatsApp:

• WhatsApp now allows businesses to send authentication codes to users in India. [TechCrunch]

• WhatsApp is testing improved zoom controls for the camera. [@MattNavarra]

The rest: Creator Studio / Adtech / Quest and more:

• Meta has updated ad attribution to give a clearer view of conversions. [Search Engine Land]

• Meta is offering one-hour weekend trials for top multiplayer Quest games. [UploadVR]

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• Elon Musk says his late disclosure of buying Twitter shares was a mistake as he seeks to end a lawsuit against him. [Reuters $$$]

• Elon Musk has beat a $500 million severance suit over his mass Twitter layoff. [Bloomberg $$$]

• Brazil has suspended Meta from using Instagram posts to train AI. [BBC News]

• X continues to secure money transmitter licenses across the US. [Social Media Today]

New features and tests:

• X could soon offer a free trial for the Premium subscription. [@MattNavarra]

• X now allows you to search through your bookmarks. [@Popbase]

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• TikTok has launched a new promotional campaign with UK Olympic squads. [Social Media Today]

Insights to give you an edge at work:

• How to get your next idea using TikTok's creator search insights. [Buffer]

New features and tests:

• TikTok is testing a new search icon in the profile header. [@theahmedghanem]

• TikTok has added desktop creator tools combining view analytics, Live Studio, and Live Center. [@jonahmanzano]

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💥 EVEN MORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS & UPDATES

• Snap has opened up first-party video and AR user data for advanced audience planning incorporating TV, in a deal with VideoAmp. [AdAge $$$]

• The US FTC has banned anonymous messaging app NGL from hosting children. [Washington Post $$$]

• NATO invited 16 content creators to its summit in Washington this week to help it connect with Gen Z. [Bloomberg $$$]

• A judge ordered a Mississippi woman to take down posts accusing schoolmates of bullying her daughter to death. [Washington Post $$$]

Insights to give you an edge at work:

• How to tailor influencer marketing to different generations. [Emarketer]

New features and tests:

• LinkedIn made it easier to remove yourself from being tagged with a new button that appears at the bottom of articles or newsletters you're tagged in. [@lindsaygamble_]

• Twitch has expanded its Stories feature to include videos up to 60 seconds long. [@lindseygamble_]

• Telegram now lets you enable paid reactions to earn stars and get paid. [@jonahmanzano]

• Telegram has added the ability to repost to Stories when sharing a post. [@jonahmanzano]

• CapCut now has a Telegram group for creators. [@jonahmanzano]

• Google is testing Snapchat-like filters for Messages. [Android Authority]

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📰 WEEKEND READS

Geekout’s pick of the best longer reads to sink into over the weekend:

“On its 15th anniversary, the creators of FarmVille reflect on the compulsive cartoon farm sim that paved the way for a data-driven world.”

• Everyone is trying to make this TikTok go viral—and it never will

• India banned TikTok. What became of its influencers?

• The UK General Election wasn’t the social media election everyone expected

• Meet the 19-year-old getting paid to rate Instagram profiles

• TikTok Shop is annoying on purpose

• What would a ban on TikTok mean for hip-hop?

• Spotify is no longer just a streaming app, it’s a social network

• President Biden wants to woo TikTok creators. But posting him comes at a price

• Trump dominates TikTok. This pro-Biden influencer explains why

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😳 AND FINALLY…

A clip from Mark Zuckerberg’s Harvard commencement address in 2017 resurfaced this week and got a lot of engagement. 🎓🎙️

If you’re feeling overwhelmed about getting started with something new, it’s worth a watch for some Zuck inspiration.

Tap through to watch the clip in full👇

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📅 BACK NEXT WEEK…

And with that, you’ve reached the end of this week’s Geekout debriefing.

You’ve just levelled-up your social media IQ +3pts ⬆️

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Right folks… I’m heading off to the coast in Devon for the weekend for a mini digital detox 🌊 🏖️ . And date number two. ❤️

Have a great weekend, whatever you get up to.

Goodbye, geeks!

p.s. This newsletter is edited by Martin SFP Bryant