i don’t know wtf i’m doing

July 15, 2022

*Read this newsletter on the web for the best experience*

Hello, geeks!

Well… We all kind of expected it to happen.

Elon Musk wants to walk away from his Twitter deal. [Elon right now]. But Twitter has had enough of his BS.

We’ll dig into the latest twist in Twitter’s corporate nightmare in a moment.

BUT FIRST… If you’re feeling lost in your career, this is for YOU!

I also shared it on LinkedIn. Check out the comments. You’re not alone! 

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Right… Let’s jump into all the news you need to know about this week:

🔥 GEEKOUT HOT 5

  1. Elon Musk terminated his Twitter takeover plans [DEAL CANCELLED]

  2. Twitter files lawsuit over Elon Musk’s $44bn takeover shitshow [LAWYER UP]

  3. TikTok + Instagram is the new Google for Gen-Z [SOCIAL SEARCH]

  4. Facebook advertisers start abandoning platform for first time ever [FULL STORY]

  5. TikTok is adding content filters and maturity ratings [NEW FEATURES]

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Get ready for your guide to everything else worth knowing about this week. Here’s this week’s NEW & NOTEWORTHY rundown:

Facebook is testing a way to add up to five profiles tied to a single account (getting desperate, FB?)... Instagram is expanding subscription tools for creators…Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses can now make calls + send WhatsApp messages… Instagram is testing a weird notes feature and an option to display ads on your profile (ewww. no thanks)... And Instagram may soon show friends how long you take to reply to DMs (nobody asked for this, IG!)

Twitter’s new CoTweet feature has a quirky bug that lets you post unlisted tweets… Twitter is trialling new alt text reminder alerts… Twitter also confirmed the first test of its ‘custom timelines’ feature… Twitter Ads Manager is getting an A/B test feature for tweets (useful!)... And you can now remove yourself from Twitter conversations with the new ‘unmention’ feature.

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✨ HIDDEN GEM | GEN-Z INSIGHTS

Did you know: 70% of Gen-Z don’t feel they get great customer service from brands on social media when they try to buy something? Learn more about generation divides on social media from the team at Emplifi. [SHOW ME]

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A bunch of new celebs joined TikTok this week including: Beyonce, Victoria Beckham, and Justin Timberlake… TikTok’s controversial privacy policy update has been paused in Europe… TikTok owner ByteDance is working on a new Instagram-like app in Asia.

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WORTH A LOOK 👀

💥 EXCLUSIVE: Join the Geekout Group for SMMs on Facebook [28,000+ MEMBERS]

🤖 BOTS: 9 Twitter Bots to Cleanse Your Feed of Elon Musk [BYE BYE ELON]

🔥 PRO-TIP: 7 Easy-to-Execute IG Reels Ideas for Lone SMMs [SHOW ME]

😍 EMOJIS: 31 New Emojis Coming in 2023 [FIRST LOOK]

👀 TWITTER: 5 facts About Twitter Lurkers [TAKE A PEEK]

🔎 RESOURCES: The Complete Guide to Advanced Twitter Search Operators [I’M FEELING PLUCKY]

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Time to dive into the news headlines EVERYONE’s talking about. Analysis of this week’s top stories is coming up next…👇

— Matt

P.S. The Geekout Friday Debrief is live on Twitter Spaces today at 4pm UK / 11am ET / 8am PT [LISTEN LIVE / PLAY BACK]

🚨 Everyone's talking about...

The banter timeline wins again. Late last Friday, Elon Musk announced that he wanted to pull out of his deal to buy Twitter.

Twitter quickly announced it would sue, and within days, the lawsuit was filed. The document didn’t mince its words, and was packed with accusations and more shitposts than your average legal filing.

“Musk apparently believes that he — unlike every other party subject to Delaware contract law — is free to change his mind, trash the company, disrupt its operations, destroy stockholder value, and walk away,” Twitter wrote.

It is, as TechCrunch put it, ”a meme driven lawsuit for the books”. But what’s going on? Has Musk simply lost interest in a joke that he never intended to go through with? I wouldn’t put it past him.

Whatever’s going on in Musk’s head, the damage he’s caused to Twitter is far from a joke. It’s a nightmare scenario for the share price, there’s reportedly chaos inside the company, staff are leaving, ad sales have been hit, and management are worried Musk only wanted all that bot data to help him build a competing app.

With all that in mind, it’s no surprise that Twitter wants a quick trial. The stock market seems to think Twitter has a good chance of winning far more in damages than the contractual $1 billion break-up fee, or maybe the sale might even be forced to go ahead. Meanwhile, the SEC is closing in on Musk over his filings around the acquisition, so it’s not looking very good for him right now.

There’s still the question of what would happen if he ignored the court’s order - something we can’t put past him given what’s happened in this sorry saga so far.

At least one thing’s for sure. Despite what you might have seen this week, Twitter wasn’t petty enough to suspend Musk’s account over the dispute. But it would have been hard to blame them if they felt the desire for a quick hit of revenge.

Meta was not so long ago an unstoppable adtech juggernaut. But things aren’t looking quite so unstoppable now. As Insider reports:

Already, analysts expect the social giant to record zero growth in the second quarter, in a first for the company. Mark Zuckerberg himself called the situation "one of the worst downturns that we've seen in recent history," according to Reuters. The rest of the digital ad sector, made up of Google, Twitter, Snap and others, is also facing a slowdown in growth…

One top exec at a major holding company agency said the economic downturn would affect everyone in the second half but that significantly, Meta would lose share of client spending as well, saying, "This is a first."

The major ad forecasters have cut their overall ad spending outlooks for the year, and other agency execs say Meta, long considered a "must-buy," is now at the top of clients' lists of places to cut.

This comes amid reports that Meta’s ad sales staff aren’t as aggressive in pursuing deals as they used to be. No wonder Meta is encouraging managers to root out low-performing staff as it cuts its headcount.

Has a combination of complacency from being top dog for social ads combined with the economic downturn bitten Zuck where it hurts? Sure looks like it.

Speaking of top dogs being bitten, a Google exec made a very interesting comment this week, as picked up by TechCrunch.

Speaking at a Fortune conference, Google Senior Vice President, Prabhakar Raghavan acknowledged that social apps like TikTok and Instagram pose a threat to the company’s core business:

“We keep learning, over and over again, that new internet users don’t have the expectations and the mindset that we have become accustomed to.” Raghavan said, adding, “the queries they ask are completely different.”

These users don’t tend to type in keywords but rather look to discover content in new, more immersive ways, he said.

“In our studies, something like almost 40% of young people, when they’re looking for a place for lunch, they don’t go to Google Maps or Search,” he continued. “They go to TikTok or Instagram.”

This will be no surprise if you’ve been following how young people use social apps in recent years, but if it’s got to the point where it’s impacting Google’s business, that’s a notable shift.

And it’s not just TikTok and Instagram. Snap-owned Zenly actively encourages you to delete your Maps app. If you were a teenager who didn’t need live traffic data and a comprehensive place database, a more social map might be fine for you. And of course Snapchat’s own map keeps gaining more features that make it a great alternative to Google’s.

You could argue that ‘oh no, look at all this new competition’ is a handy argument for Google in the face of antitrust investigations, but there’s no denying that there’s truth here too.

If Google hadn’t fumbled its many attempts at social media over the years, it might not be in this situation now. It’s going to be fascinating to see how it tries to reverse the trend and get new generations Googling as much older folk do.

📺 Worth watching

The Depp-Heard trial felt like a landmark moment in the role of social media, so this documentary is well worth a watch. Check it out for free on YouTube:

🫢 SMM confessions

”A former social media manager for a major television show disclosed the industry's problems that are faced today with social media managers.”

👀 Read of the week

Do-it-all super apps are huge in Asia, but no-one has managed to make them stick in many other parts of the world. This article looks at the latest attempts to build a WeChat for the West.

🤫 Industry gossip

Meta’s thirst for Reels is having a real impact on content versus TikTok. Check Matthew Stasoff’s tweet for more examples of people noticing Reels is far outperforming their TikTok videos.

📈 New insights

  • You can read the full report this is from, by Qustodio, here.

📲 App of the week

Create a Linktree, add and manage links, customize their design and more, straight from your phone.

💬 You can quote me on that

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

I gave my thoughts to the Press Association about Twitter’s lawsuit against corporate meme clown Elon Musk 🤡

👌 Must-follows

Tap through to this thread, which is packed full of good people to follow 👇

📊 Charts of the week

🔢 Stat of the week

🌟 New feature spotlight

📸 Instagram insights

📈 Trending meme

Twitter users have been busy finding brilliant new meanings for emojis. Like this…

🔵 Meta news

“Facebook owner Meta released its first annual human rights report on Thursday, following years of accusations that it turned a blind eye to online abuses that fueled real-world violence in places like India and Myanmar.”

  • Meta has developed A.I. that blends human and computer imagination into algorithmic art. [Engadget]

  • Meta has unveiled an A.I. tool called Sphere, which is being used to verify the quality of citations on Wikipedia. [TechCrunch]

  • Yet another Molly-Mae Hague Instagram post has fallen foul of the Advertising Standards Authority for failing to be tagged as an ad. [The Guardian]

Insights to give you an edge at work:

  • How can you create great Reels without a video team? Try these tips. [Later.com]

New features and tests:

Facebook:

  • Facebook is testing the ability to add up to five accounts and easily switch between them. [CNet]

  • Facebook has been spotted removing the Reels tab from the app header in iOS and has making it easier to post to Groups. [@ahemedghanem]

  • You can now go live straight from Creator Studio. [@jonah_manzano]

Instagram:

  • Instagram has started rolling out its Notes feature to some users. [@ow]

  • Instagram is prompting some users to share a 'song of the day'. [@kerempekedis]

  • Instagram is working on the ability to use avatars with music. [@alex193a]

  • Instagram is testing a Creator Marketplace to help advertisers connect with suitable influencers. [Social Media Today]

  • Instagram is testing subscriber-only chats, Reels, posts, and Home features. [@mosseri]

  • Instagram has launched Live Producer, letting you go live via third-party streaming apps from your desktop. [TechCrunch]

  • Instagram is testing a 'walkie-talkie' feature. [@salman_memon_7]

  • Instagram is working on the ability to create broadcast chats. [@alex193a]

  • Instagram has been spotted recommending making Reels from Highlight Stories. [@yousufortaccom]

  • Instagram has started showing a typical messages response time, like Facebook. [@ahmedghanem]

  • Instagram could soon serve ads in your profile feed. [@alex193a]

  • …and it looks like they might share the revenue with you. [@alex193a]

  • Instagram is still working on the ability to upload 9:16 photos. [@alex193a]

  • Instagram is developing text shortcuts for chat, including shrug, theme and poll. [@alex193a]

Messenger:

  • Messenger and Instagram are marking Non-Binary People’s Day with new expression features and artwork. [Messenger News]

WhatsApp:

  • WhatsApp has started rolling out 'any emoji' reactions. [The Verge]

  • WhatsApp is working on letting you add a voice message to your status. [WABetaInfo]

  • WhatsApp's new Mac app is out now in a limited beta test. [WABetaInfo]

VR/Quest/devices:

  • Quest's software has been updated with fitness achievements, more parental supervision tools, and more. [Meta Quest blog]

  • The Ray-Ban Stories glasses now support hands-free WhatsApp usage. [Mark Zuckerberg]

🐣 Twitter news

Twitter suffered its largest outage after series of faults in February.

  • Twitter 'relished' its position as the US President's favourite social platform, and so went easy on him, according to testimony from an ex-employee. [Washington Post $$$]

  • Global emoji use has hit an all-time high on Twitter. [Emojipedia]

  • Twitter’s CoTweet feature has accidentally let users easily create ‘unlisted’ tweets. [The Verge]

  • Twitter Blue's price in the UK is going up before it's even officially launched there 🤔. [@MartinSFP]

Insights to give you an edge at work:

  • Who are Twitter’s ‘lurkers’? New research shines a light on the platform’s quieter users. [Pew Research]

  • Should your brand use Twitter Notes? It depends… [Marketing Brew]

  • Approximately 1.5 billion tweets about gaming were published in the first half of this year. [AdWeek $$$]

New features and tests:

  • Twitter now lets you 'unmention' yourself from other people's tweets. [TechCrunch]

  • Twitter Spaces now offers a sound board with 35 sounds. [@JoselinMane]

  • Twitter is testing custom timelines, with a limited-access Bachelorette timeline. [The Verge]

  • Twitter is running a test to see if users want to start Spaces from the replies to a tweet. [@TwitterSpaces]

  • Twitter is adding an A/B test feature to help advertisers optimise tweets. [Twitter Developer Platform]

  • Twitter is testing an alert to remind you to add alt text to images. [The Verge]

  • Twitter is still working on a Stations feature for Spaces. [@alex193a]

  • Twitter could soon show more information in the Communities list. [@alex193a]

  • Twitter could give Communities tweets a new design. [@alex193a]

  • Twitter might soon show the most used hashtags in a Community. [@alex193a]

🔺 TikTok news

TikTok has hit the brakes on a controversial policy change around targeted advertising, after Italian regulators raised the alarm.

  • Children's rights groups have hit out at TikTok for not offering the same protections for children in all markets. [TechCrunch]

  • Kids spent 62% more time on TikTok than YouTube, watching TikTok for 23 mins per day longer on average. [TechCrunch]

  • TikTok use by the military poses a security risk, according to a member of the US Feberal Communications Commission. [Bloomberg $$$]

  • TikTok has partnered with NCSolutions to offer better brand lift measurements. [Social Media Today]

  • TikTok owner ByteDance is launching a new Instagram-like app in China, called Kesong. [South China Morning Post]

Insights to give you an edge at work:

  • TikTok has launched a free marketing education series for SMBs, called ‘Follow Me’. [Social Media Today]

New features and tests:

  • TikTok has added an 'Add Music' option to Live. [@jonah_manzano]

  • TikTok has added placement filters to help brands make sure their ads aren't shown against potentially offensive content. [Social Media Today]

  • TikTok has added a ‘support nonprofit’ feature for Live events. [@MattNavarra]

  • TikTok now has a ‘nudge’ feature, but it’s not clear what it does. [@MattNavarra]

  • TikTok now lets you select a layout for co-hosted Live events. [@jonah_manzano]

  • TikTok is working on content filters and maturity ratings. [TechCrunch]

💥 More social media news and updates

This landmark piece of internet safety legislation is set to be held back until a new Prime Minister is in place.

  • Social media interactions with news content have dropped 50% in the first half of 2022. [Axios]

  • Twitch star Myth has signed an exclusive deal with YouTube. [The Verge]

  • Pinterest's ban of weight loss ads has had a notable effect on user behaviour. [Social Media Today]

  • 31 new emojis are waiting for approval to become official, including shaking face, two pushing hands, and jellyfish. [Emojipedia]

  • Creators are seeing a big drop in payouts from Pinterest. [Insider $$$]

  • Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok all fail the GLAAD test on protecting LGBTQ users. [Axios]

  • There should be a review of UK government use of private messaging apps like WhatsApp, the Information Commissioner's Office has said. [Sky News]

  • YouTube has settled a lawsuit accusing it of not protecting moderators from harmful content. [Reuters $$$]

  • YouTube took down a popular, two-year-long music livestream over a bogus DCMA warning. [TechCrunch]

  • Russia is threatening expat social media influencers with jail time for spreading information that doesn't align with the Kremlin's line on the conflict. [Bloomberg $$$]

  • Chat service Omegle can be sued after matching an 11-year-old girl with a man who sexually abused her. [The Verge]

  • Tech news site The Information is launching a social platform for its subscribers. [Axios]

  • End-to-end encryption is a “disaster” for counter-terrorism efforts, according to a UK Parliament report. [Sky News]

  • A new, lightweight social audio app called Open Doors has launched. [TechCrunch]

  • Hootsuite has given itself a rebrand. [@MattNavarra]

  • Applicants for ‘concealed carry’ gun permits in New York State will have to share their social media accounts. [Gizmodo]

Insights to give you an edge at work:

  • 36.4% of YouTube viewership comes from connected TVs, according to a new eMarketer report. [TubeFilter]

  • Got questions about appealing strikes against your YouTube channel? The platform may have the answer in a new FAQ video. [Search Engine Journal]

New features and tests:

  • YouTube has started rolling out picture-in-picture for iOS to Premium members globally and all uses in the US. [@TeamYouTube]

  • Snapchat is to test letting creators showcase NFTs as AR filters. [Financial Times]

  • LinkedIn is working on a 'Share outside LinkedIn' section for the Share menu. [@nima_owji]

  • Reddit now lets any sub activate GIF comments. [The Verge]

  • Reddit is rolling out the ability to add text to more types of post. This was previously a power-up feature. [AdWeek $$$]

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📖 Weekend reading

“Bebop and Bebe are the latest subjects of armchair detectives searching for clues on social media — even when the evidence points the other way.”

😳 And finally...

📅 Back next week...

…And this is the end.

Of the newsletter, I mean. That sounded a little dark for a moment!

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Right… Time for me to get packing. Literally. I’m off on holiday to California soon. (can’t. wait).

Goodbye geeks!

– Matt

PS. There will be no Geekout Newsletter on Friday 29th July & Friday 5th August 2022. I’m taking a much needed vacation!

______

This newsletter is edited by Martin SFP Bryant

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