Meta finds a place it forgot to put ads

...and Zuck spends big to poach AI talent 💰

Author

Matt Navarra
June 20, 2025

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Hello, geeks!

Welcome to this week’s super-stuffed edition of Geekout.

There’s been a bunch of spicy developments in social media land over the past seven days , including…

… WhatsApp’ revealed its plans to starting hitting you with ads

… Meta AI started warning users about accidentally oversharing sensitive info.

… Trump stalled the TikTok ban AGAIN for another 90 days

… CapCut’s new Terms of Service sparked viral outrage

Plus 50+ new social media platform features spotted in the wild, including:

… Instagram testing a ‘Repost’ button (again)

…Threads new spoiler alerts feature

…TikTok testing a meme generation tool

But before we get into it, trust me, you’ll want to check these out: 👇

👉 Are You Above Average? 2025 Social Benchmarks are in — Where do you rank against the best? Check now!. [ad]
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👉 71 AI video prompts that actually work — No hype. Just results. Steal the prompts. [ad]

__________

Tell me something… 👂

AI tools are getting smarter every week…

But let’s be real — they’re still not doing the one thing you actually hate most, suck up most your time, or you secretly struggle with.

So let’s hear it…

❝

What’s the ONE part of your social job you wish AI could handle?

(serious + not so serious answers welcome)

Hit reply to this email and tell me now.

The funniest, most painfully accurate answers might get featured in next week’s Geekout.

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🔥 GEEKOUT HOT 5

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

WhatsApp to start showing more adverts in messaging app

People who link their WhatsApp account to Facebook or Instagram will see personalised ads.

  1. Trump extends TikTok ban deadline (again) by ANOTHER 90 days [STALLING]

  2. Meta offered $100M+ bonuses to lure OpenAI staff, Sam Altman says [POACHING]

  3. U.S state of Minnesota passes bill requiring social platforms to show a mental health warning on every login [SAFEGUARDING]

  4. Meta warns users to 'avoid sharing personal or sensitive information' in its AI app [CAUTIONING]

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SPONSORED - 2025 INSIGHTS - FREE TOOLKIT
The 2025 Social Benchmarks Are In. Where Do You Rank?

Your content is performing… but how does it compare?

Sprout Social’s FREE 2025 Social Content Benchmarks Toolkit reveals what “good” really looks like on social — across industries, platforms, and content types.

Sneak peek of FULL report: 👀

  • 📉 Instagram Reels engagement fell 20.2% — rethink your format mix

  • 📈 LinkedIn feed surged: +28.6% median engagement YoY

  • 🔥 TikTok leads all platforms with 4.19% median engagement

  • 📉 Facebook click-through rates are declining — tread carefully

  • 📆 90% of viral brands test new content at least monthly

Inside the FREE toolkit [free!]: ⚒️

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  • 🎥 'Beyond the Benchmarks' Webinar: A masterclass in viral wins from the City of Miami Beach

  • 📂 Presentation Deck Template: Plug in your data, wow your boss — done

  • 📄 Social Scorecard Template: A quick + slick report report template you can steal

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🚨 EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT…

WhatsApp adds ads… will it be a big deal?

WhatsApp’s rollout of ads will change the app forever

Despite being owned by ad giant Meta for over 10 years, WhatsApp has been gloriously ad-free since its launch.

That changed this week, with the news that ads and paid promotion opportunities for channels would be launching soon.

The Meta-owned platform says the new ads will not be shown in the same place as people's private chats, nor will the contents of their messages - which are encrypted - be used to decide which ads to display.

WhatsApp will instead use the country, city and language of the user, as well as how they interact with other ads and which channels they follow, to drive suggested content.

But people who have chosen to link their WhatsApp account to Facebook or Instagram will see more personalised ads.

The good news is that you might not even notice the change. Ads will be tucked away in the Updates tab that you probably rarely visit unless you are a regular user of the Status feature. They’ll be like ads in Instagram Stories, which most people tolerate absolutely fine.

Meta knows better than to drop ads into the main chats tab… at least for now.

While most of us should get the new ads soon, they won’t roll out in the EU until 2026 while discussions about the move progress with regulators.

Signal was quick to trumpet its ad-free, security-focused alternative, and while a few privacy purists might shift over, getting all of their contacts to move to Signal might be a more tricky prospect.

Meta knows that as long as it doesn’t overdo it, many users around the world are locked into the WhatsApp habit now, and it will take a lot more than a few ads in the Status feature (which many people don’t use, at least in my experience) to change that.

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✨ NEW & NOTEWORTHY

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

Meta / Facebook 👥

Mark Zuckerberg shows off the forthcoming Oakley “performance AI glasses”

  • Facebook says all new videos will now automatically be Reels — no more separate upload options

  • Facebook now supports password-free login with your face or fingerprint

  • Facebook now lets you include content from your Instagram accounts in your Facebook Memories

  • Meta is to release sporty smart glasses with Oakley, and Premium Fashion Frames with Prada. Zuck has shown off the Oakley collab on Facebook today

  • Meta won’t face a new EU fine after missing the June 26 deadline to pay a €200 million fine it was slapped with in April.

  • Meta quietly revived VR-based Avatar Quests on Facebook and Instagram profiles

  • Meta CTO Andrew ‘Boz’ Bosworth has joined the US Army in a part-time role to give more tech cred to the military

  • Meta’s $14 billion deal for 49% of Scale AI and to poach founder Alexandr Wang will see Wang get $1 billion… if he stays at Meta for five years

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Instagram ✨

Instagram’s testing a ‘Repost’ button (again)

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Threads 🧵 / WhatsApp 🟢 

Threads’ new Spoiler Alerts feature

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Twitter (‘X’) 🤡

X’s new limit on adding Community Notes to individual accounts

  • X is ramping up its ‘super app’ ambitions. It will soon let users trade, tip, and pay—all without leaving the app. X-branded credit and debit cards are on the way, too.

  • X is under fire as child abuse content spreads after its safety partner Thorn pulled out, citing months of unpaid invoices

  • X and top music publishers—including Universal, Sony, and Warner—have paused their $250 million copyright lawsuit to pursue an out-of-court settlement

  • X removed ‘suggested posts’ and added user feedback surveys on the For You feed

  • X partnered with Omnicom to bring live trend data into the ad giant’s AI engine, aiding creatives

  • X has sued the state of New York to block a social media hate speech law

  • X is now limiting the number of Community Notes a contributor can write on the same account (Elon tiring of X users fact checking his BS?)

  • Elon Musk’s deal to bring X under xAI deal could inflate X’s EU fineX

  • Elon Musk is facing financial meltdown as xAI burn rate tops $1B/month, with ong-going chaos and decling user numbers on X

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YouTube 📺

YouTube’s new ‘Product’ stickers for Shorts

  • YouTube is upgrading product tagging in Shorts — stickers now appear front and centre, boosting product clicks by 40%

  • YouTube appears to be slowing down videos for some users running ad blockers

  • YouTube has been spotted offering the ability to create a community more widely

  • YouTube’s new ‘Open Call’ lets creators pitch for brand deals

  • YouTube now pays creators for ad-free videos used in schools

  • YouTube Premium’s family plan has jumped in price in Australia and France, prompting fears other countries will be next

  • YouTube now shows more detail about some users in search results

  • YouTube is testing a ‘latest episode’ badge and ‘save’ button for podcasts

  • YouTube is partnering with Agentio, StreamElements, and expanding BrandConnect to boost monetisation for Shorts creators

  • YouTube TV is quietly offering a $10 monthly discount in the US—here’s how to get it

__________


TikTok 📱

TikTok’s new collectable badges for completing wellbeing missions

  • TikTok Shop is testing a price match guarantee to drive summer sales

  • Trump’s TikTok ban extension in the US has been branded “illegal” for ignoring the law, which does not allow for more than one extension

  • TikTok execs met creators in €1,000 per night suites and partied at nightly frosé-fueled soirées at Cannes Lions

  • TikTok added a ‘Meme Sound’ feature that lets you generate a meme using text-to-speech

  • TikTok has launched Connect Now - a new way to find friends nearby

  • TikTok now lets you use Quick Replies in DMs

  • TikTok’s new Collect Exclusive Badges gamify reducing your screentime. You can complete quick wellbeing missions to unlock all six badges

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LinkedIn / Snapchat / Pinterest / More… 💼

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🔥 Want to see more hot NEW features spotted in the wild this week?

Just head to the ‘More news’ section below!

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🤖 SOCIAL A.I.

The newest social media A.I. features spotted this week:

Meta Teases AI Generation Of Entire Horizon Worlds Coming "Very Soon"

Meta Horizon Worlds Desktop Editor is getting AI Environment Generation "very soon", teased to let creators generate entire worlds from a text prompt.

Also spotted this week 👀

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💬 YOU CAN QUOTE ME ON THAT

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

BBC News asked for my thoughts about the dangers of WhatsApp introducing ads:

Also this week:

  • Can the Beckham brand survive reports of family feud? 
    I spoke to BBC News, explaining how the algorithm rewards drama over truth, and what the feud may do for the Beckham brand on social.

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😆 LOL

When Threads users encountered a bug this week that showed fake duplicate posts by users who had said no such thing, I framed it as Threads ‘lying’ about the existence of posts (which it basically was!).

Meta PR attack dog Andy Stone was not happy with that framing! But when is he ever happy? 🤷

Meanwhile, in ’fake features that should exist’ land…

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🌡️ VIRAL

It’s a story as old as time (or at least as old as social media)….

CapCut’s updated terms of service have sparked viral outrage over a “perpetual, worldwide license” to user content.

Creators claimed ByteDance could use their videos freely, even in ads.

But the spicy legal terms — like “perpetual” and “royalty-free” — have been there for years.

Okay, what is going on with CapCut's terms of service?

Also:

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🪧 BRAND SOCIAL

Brand trips for influencers might seem a bit old-hat, but AdWeek argues that Irish butter brand Kerrygold has shown they’re still a way to generate positive buzz.

Why Kerrygold’s Butter-Themed Influencer Trip Went Viral on TikTok

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🙊 WHAT DID YOU SAY?!

“I prefer to die rather than act against my values and betray my users.”

– Telegram CEO Pavel Durov talks tough, saying he has never violated user privacy or sold out to states

Also overheard this week:

  • “Does anyone still read that publication?"

    – X CEO Linda Yaccarino mocked the Wall Street Journal over its claims X is intimidating brands into advertising with it. The WSJ stands by its journalism.

  • “It’s ridiculous that they make an advertisement instead of just [implementing age restrictions]… I wish they would have spent the money on making a technical age verification solution instead of making a campaign stating how much they care” 

    – Danish minister Caroline Stage Olsen ripped Meta for promoting app store-level age checks instead of fixing Instagram’s own flaws

  • “No AI clutter, no surveillance ads”

    – Signal president Meredith Whittaker says her app won’t follow WhatsApp in introducing ads and other non-core features

  • “Who am I to say what’s spending time, engaging time, quality time, killing time?… It’s all of us as consumers—the 2 billion people that come to YouTube every single day—we get to decide how to spend our time.” 

    – YouTube CEO Neal Mohan claps back at Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos’ claim that YouTube is just for “killing time”

  • “As soon as your attention fades, you get something else. And of course TikTok does that even better — your attention fades and you swipe. You’re programmed to jump to the next thing on those platforms. That means you don’t stay a while.”

    – Twitch CEO Dan Clancy on why its brand of livestreaming is so sticky

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❌ BAN SOCIAL?!

The latest ways politicians are ganging up against social media companies…

And teens around the world are left wondering if a social media ban might become a reality in their country…

Minnesota lawmakers approve social media mental health warning measure 

Minnesota lawmakers have approved a measure requiring social media platforms to display a warning label, cautioning about the negative impacts of its use on mental health.  The bill, which the Legi…

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📖 NEW BOOK

Nicholas Carr’s new book Superbloom argues social media has moved from distraction to destruction.

Algorithms fuel outrage, isolate users, and spread harm—from genocide to teen suicide. Carr blames Facebook’s 2006 News Feed shift as the cultural tipping point.

He warns AI will make things worse before they get better…

Why the rise of social media has given us a less happy, more polarized and dangerous world

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👀 MY FAV READS

Zuckerberg’s gone from nerd to cage-fighting, chain-wearing alpha.

He’s gutted moderation, slashed woke policies, and courted Trump’s inner circle.

Meta’s AI race depends on outgunning OpenAI and winning over regulators — fast.

Inside Meta, morale is reportedly crumbling; staff feel burned, sidelined, and blindsided by Zuck’s hard pivot.Insiders call it a midlife meltdown — or a long-hidden power play.

This long-read from The FT digs into it…

How Mark Zuckerberg unleashed his inner brawler

The boss’s transformation shocked liberals at Meta, but his closest allies say this is who he was all along

Also:

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😮 WTF?!

Telegram boss Pavel Durov will split his $13.9 billion fortune among MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED biological children.

He says none will access it for 30 years to avoid entitlement.

Telegram boss will leave fortune to over 100 children he fathered

The technology tycoon said his children would not have access to their inheritance for 30 years.

Also this week 👀

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🏆 TOP CREATORS

Forbes has named 2025’s top-earning creators…

The top 50 creators earned $853 million in 2025—up 18%.

MrBeast stayed on top, with $85 million and 634 million followers.

The top 50 now command 3.4 BILLION followers, up 24% from last year

Forbes Top Creators 2025 - Instagramers, YouTubers & Other Digital Creators

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🔍 NEW RESEARCH

Screen addiction—not time online—drives mental health harm in teens

A study, which tracked more than 4,000 adolescents for four years, found:

  • Addicted teens face 1.5x higher risk of depression, 3x for suicide

  • 30% of kids aged 9–14 showed rising addictive use

  • Over 40% had compulsive gaming tied to aggression, depression

  • 5.2% reported suicidal behaviour; 17.7% had suicidal thoughts by age 14

Experts have called for targeting compulsive use, not just screen time limits.

Teenagers who report addictive use of screens at greater risk of suicidal behaviour, study shows

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🤦‍♂️ FAIL

Yikes! WhatsApp AI gave out a real user’s number instead of a train helpline.

When questioned, the chatbot lied, deflected, and called the number “fictional.” It later admitted it may have pulled it from a database.

Meta claims the number was public and not from WhatsApp data.

‘It’s terrifying’: WhatsApp AI helper mistakenly shares user’s number

Also:

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👔 YOU’RE HIRED!

Hot new social media jobs worth checking out this week:

Vox Media is hiring an Audience Editor [New York City, Washington DC, or remote, USA]

More top social media jobs spotted this week 💼

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👌 PRO TIPS

You probably already knew this - but adding a link in the first comment ot your Facebook post is way better for reach than linking from the main post.

In case there was any doubt, Facebook has now confirmed it…

Meta Advises Page Managers To Include Links in Post Comments

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📊 SOCIAL STATS

200 BILLION

- The number of daily views YouTube says Shorts videos now get, up from 70B in 2024 — that's 3x growth

Even more social stats: 📈

  • BARGAIN: OnlyFans may be sold for a bargain $8 billion — far below its $30 billion+ potential, because potential buyers are wary of its p**n connections

  • SOCIAL NEWS: More Americans get news from social media (54%) than TV (50%) or news apps (48%)

  • INFLUENCER INFLUENZA: Only 12% of people say they’d buy from influencer posts.

  • SHOP-IFIED: TikTok says US in-app sales have grown 120% in 2025, driven by livestreams and shoppable videos

  • SUB-STANTIAL: 95% of US and UK creators now monetise through direct-to-fan models like subscriptions + merch

  • HARMFUL: 90% of users say harmful content is up across Facebook, Instagram, and Threads

  • TIKTOK EFFECT: TikTok says 66% of users use it to stay ahead of trends and events, shaping content around them

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📈 CHARTED

Here’s how good Meta is at making money from ads

More charted social insights spotted this week: 👀.

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💥 EVEN MORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS & UPDATES

State Dept. restarts student visa interviews with tougher social media rules

The new requirements could affect hundreds of thousands of visa applications each year, raising concerns about staffing requirements.

  • Meta tried to buy Ilya Sutskever’s $32 billion AI startup, but is now planning to hire its CEO. [CNBC]

  • MrBeast is filming ‘Beast Games’ season two at a massive temporary soundstage in Las Vegas. [TubeFilter]

  • Meta has been re-certified by the MRC for brand safety across Facebook and Instagram. [Social Media Today]

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📰 WEEKEND READS

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

As Trump Comes for Your Social Media, It’s Time You Consider What’s Worth Sharing

Certain apps may help you avoid the U.S. government using your past posts against you.

More great weekend reads:

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😳 AND FINALLY…

This is a really sad end to an icon… 🐦💥

The 560-pound bird logo that used to adorn Twitter's office was blown up in the Nevada desert as part of an elaborate stunt to promote an online marketplace app.

Poor Larry 😞

The 560-pound Twitter sign met a fiery end in a Nevada desert

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📅 BACK NEXT WEEK…

And that’s this week’s Geekout. Done. ✔️

I’m off to check out the new Adidas x Oasis collection, launched earlier this week.

I’ve managed to get tickets to the opening night of their reunion tour in Cardiff at the Principality Stadium (July 4).

Best to get in there early, before they fall out (again) and cancel the remaining gigs.

Chances: High. What do you reckon, Liam…?

Goodbye, geeks!

P.S. This newsletter is edited by Martin SFP Bryant

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