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Hello, geeks

How are we all doing this week? I hope the algorithms have been good to you.

First off this week, a warm welcome to the 1,000+ new social media geeks who are reading Geekout for the first time.

One of my tweets went viral this week, leading to a spike in new subscribers.

Also, I have a TikTok account which I never use. However, I decided to post something from it for the first time this week. I got lucky…

That also went viral… and led to even more people subscribing to Geekout.

Here’s how I helped my first TikTok go viral... And if anyone from WhatsApp is reading this. You owe me a drink (or three).

Before we get started…

• The surprising new name for Twitter? 🐣

• Why the GIF is nearly dead 💀

• The most desperate Facebook notification 😫

Also...

Twitter wants your help!

• Twitter is working on improving tweet analytics.

• What new metrics or analytics features do you want them to add?

• Reply to this thread and let them know.

Alrighty… Let’s dive into the hottest news headlines in social this week:

—

🔥 GEEKOUT HOT 5

1. Meta Launched Its $1,499 Quest Pro VR Headset [FULL DETAILS]

2. Kanye Locked Out of Twitter + IG Following Offensive Posts [YE-BAN]

3. Meta Revealed Big Microsoft Metaverse Partnership [METASOFT] 

4. TikTok to Build Amazon-Style Fulfilment Centers in the U.S [TIKTOK SHOP]

5. YouTube Launched @ Name Handles for Channels [MORE INFO]

—

What else is new and noteworthy this week? I got you. Here’s a speedy summary of everything else you’ll want to know about:

Meta held its big ‘Meta Connect’ event this week. Mark Zuckerberg showed off the new Quest Pro VR headset, and revealed more about his plans for the metaverse. He also got excited about his legs. But it turns out they were fake.

Facebook is testing a co-authored Reels feature… Instagram on desktop looks a bit different (another redesign)...Instagram is also rolling out its AI-powered age verification feature to more countries… And IG is still working on Discord-like public channels.

Twitter will now let you pin a CTA link to your profile (US-only for now). But it has some annoying limitations… Twitter is trialling Twitter Communities-only Audio Spaces (but are many people still using Twitter Communities?)... Twitter has also started asking users to enter their birth date to view sensitive content (regulation looming, they gotta get started on this stuff).

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TikTok held its TikTok World event, where It launched new options for advertisers, and a new ‘Profile Kit;’ feature for creators… ByteDance is reportedly expanding its music streaming service globally (good luck, Spotify)... Also, someone spotted a new TikTok in-app voice search feature.

Snapchat is testing a custom story expiration option for Snapchat+ subscribers… And finally… The White House is hoping TikTok influencers will spread its key messages. It invited a group of top TikTok stars to another special invite-only briefing (it held a similar event earlier this year).

DID YOU SEE… 👀

• 🌟 EXCLUSIVE: The Invite-Only Geekout Group On Facebook[JOIN 30,000+ MEMBERS]

• 🤬 TWITTER: The Worst People Elon Musk Might Unblock On Twitter [PLEASE NO]

• 😍 EMOJIS: Take a Look At Twitter’s New 3D HD Emoji Stickers [👀😯😍👌]

• 🛠 TOOLS: CapCut Pro With Premium Features Launched Quietly [MORE INFO]

• 🥊 GOSSIP: WhatsApp Boss vs. Telegram Boss War of Words on Twitter [GRAB POPCORN]

Enough of the fun stuff… Keep scrolling for analysis of the top stories making the most headlines this week. 👇

– Matt

🔨 Tool of the week

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🚨 Everyone's talking about...

All the most important VR announcements from Meta Connect 2022

It's now almost a year since Facebook rebranded as Meta and staked its future on the metaverse. And at this week's Connect event we got the biggest update in a while on how that plan is unfolding.

There were plenty of announcements to be had, with the new Quest Pro headset grabbing the most headlines. But at $1,499 it's not going to be a big seller. Initial reviews generally pegged it as impressive leap forward for Meta, but better thought of as a vision of the future of the VR headsets than a must-buy today. "A cutting-edge headset looking for an audience", as the Verge put it.

If you're looking for something a little more budget friendly, Meta shared its headset roadmap. This holiday season you might be best grabbing a Quest 2 if you want to get into VR, as there's going to be a wait for the Quest 3.

More interesting though, was how Meta is pushing to expand the market for its tech beyond gamers and curious geeks. It announced partnerships with Microsoft (to bring Teams, Office, Windows, and Xbox to VR), and Accenture (because there's plenty of money made selling 'the metaverse' to corporations scared of missing out on the future).

Perhaps the biggest relief for PR bods at Meta will have been Mark Zuckerberg's new and improved avatar which looks slightly more advanced than the widely mocked previous one. Far more impressive were the Codec avatars also shown off, but they're more a glimpse at the future for now. And much was made of the news that Meta is working on legs for its avatars, even if the ones they showed off in the event stream were faked.

Other notable announcements included another Ray-Ban partnership for smart glasses, the ability to share Horizon Worlds video clips to Reels, and the release (at last) of the workout-friendly Quest Active Pack.

But despite the news that the Quest Store has hit $1.5 billion in total revenue to date, Meta is still a long way from Zuck's metaverse dream. Internally, things reportedly aren't great, with some staff unconvinced with the direction, to the point where the New York Times reported "some workers now jokingly refer to key metaverse projects as M.M.H., an acronym for 'make Mark happy.'"

Maybe Zuck isn't too worried. He said this week he enjoys being doubted, and he still has plenty of time and money to prove the doubters wrong. Although don't expect Meta to change that much. The Quest Pro's privacy policy including a provision for eye tracking that will "help Meta personalise your experiences", so it looks like the door's open for targeted ads based on what attracts your attention. Some things at Meta might never change.

Kanye’s antisemitic tweet could be a preview of social media’s future

If you've been following the social media activity of Kanye West (or Ye as he calls himself now) over the past few years, his antisemitism on Instagram and Twitter this week will sadly not be too surprising.

He was temporarily suspended on both platforms as a result. But beyond the familiar 'celebrity acts appallingly on social media' story, the news highlights important issues around content moderation.

In recent years, 'censorship' on social platforms has become a culture war issue, leading to controversial state laws in the US that could end up being upheld by the Supreme Court. In this version of the near future, posts like West's would have to stay up.

It's easy to see how this would become open season for others who currently keep quiet about their hateful opinions to start sharing them more comfortably, leading to social media platforms becoming a toilets of nonsense most people would really rather was kept out of polite society.

Possible future Twitter owner Elon Musk had a quiet word with West about his posts, which is nice of him, but that kind of 'please knock it off' moderation won't work at scale unless Musk wants to spend all his days on the phone to every two-bit hatemonger who rears their head on the platform.

Elon Musk under federal investigation over $44bn Twitter deal

How many twists can one story have? This week it looked like we might be spared yet another major development in the Elon Musk-Twitter deal... but then Twitter submitted a filing stating that Musk is under federal investigation in relation to the deal.

This is potentially a big issue for the future of the deal. We don't know why he's being investigated or what is being investigated, but Musk isn't exactly known as a stickler for SEC rules around the stock market.

That said, one of Musk's team says the picture is a little different: "'It’s actually Twitter’s executives that are under federal investigation,' he told Bloomberg News, without explaining further."

Whether Musk (or Twitter?!) ends up with no action being taken, a slap on the wrist, or worse, it's yet another question mark over a deal that has seemed off and on so many times it could be confused for a light switch.

In other Musk-Twitter developments:

• Twitter has a bigger bot problem than rival networks, with spam and bot accounts making up around 11% of total users, according to research commissioned by Elon Musk.

• Elon Musk accused Twitter of ordering whistle-blower Mudge to destroy evidence of its missteps as part of his severance package.

• A former Twitter employee has shared why they left over the Elon Musk controversy.

• ...and current staff are said to be 'battle weary' as the deal drags on ...I know how they feel.

💡 New feature spotlight

'Don't @ me, because you can't':

This feature would be really popular - a good way to diffuse pile-ons, or just to allow people to be left alone if they wanted it.

📈 Going viral

Which emojis make you look old? According to several news reports this week, it's these...

Absolutely shocking! Nothing wrong with the occasional 👍, right? But all was not as it seemed, as Gawker explained:

So maybe just relax and use whichever emojis you like, eh?

🗣 Industry chatter

You can make HOW much from making other people look smart on Twitter?!

BUT: while you certainly can make a lot of money from ghostwriting, Tommy Clark has a good Twitter thread calling BS on some of the details in the article.

❓ Question of the week

Hunting for a new social media job? Be careful out there. Watch out for these red flags... 👇

Some choice red flags so far:

And there are lots more great responses to this question in my Social Media Geekout Facebook Group.

🤦 Fail of the week

Indian publication the Wire has a good reputation for reporting on the social media antics of the country's ruling BJP party, but its latest 'scoop' smelled so suspicious that tech journalists around the world were calling it out. The article above explains everything in detail, but even just the idea that Meta PR pitbull Andy Stone writes emails like English is his second language should have had alarm bells ringing.

Meta says the whole thing was a hoax, and as much as you should always take the company's word with a pinch of salt, here it looks like The Wire could well have been punked.

📢 Brands on social

📺 Worth a watch

Mark Zuckerberg gave a few interviews this week, and this one with the Verge is full of interesting nuggets, including his thoughts on the Quest Pro, taking on TikTok, BeReal's big risk, and Apple's attack on Meta:

🎧 Worth a listen

What's next for the big blue app?

🤔 Opinion

What if Meta's big metaverse play is just a repeat of the huge, failed attempt to reboot Yahoo a few years ago?

👀 Read of the week

This is a great read: take a peek at the sci-fi-like future tech Meta is working on...

Behind the Doors of Meta's Top-Secret Reality Labs

😮 WTF?!

This would be one of the weirdest changes Twitter has made in a long time. Non-clickable hashtags? It seems only sponsored hashtags could be clicked if this went ahead.

💡 New feature spotlight

Achievement unlocked?

💬 You can quote me on that

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

This is the big BBC story I mentioned I was being interviewed for recently 👇

Also:

• I gave my thoughts to Chris Stokel-Walker for Gizmodo about why TikTok has fallen in love with LIVE 

📈 Charts of the week

Also:

• How much is a World Cup influencer worth? Here are the top 10 Instagram footballer influencers

📊 Stat of the week

BeReal is attracting lots of attention, but struggles to keep users engaged:

😆 LOL tweet

Meta finds 400 mobile apps out to steal Facebook login info

Meta has contacted around 1 million users to inform them that shady apps might have stolen their login credentials.

• Meta has welcomed updated US rules that should allow it and others to continue to transfer data between the US and EU. [@nickclegg]

• Unauthorised Instagram app The OG App has been pulled from Google's Play Store. [TechCrunch]

• WhatsApp has a serious spam problem in India. [Rest of World]

• Parents and teachers want Instagram to take action against gossip accounts that promote bullying. [Mashable]

• Meta will run a Creator Week in early November, with in-person, invite-only events in Los Angeles, Bali, São Paulo, London, and Delhi. [@TubeFilter]

New features and tests:

Facebook:

• Facebook has rolled out an updated Pages design for small and medium-sized businesses. [Meta for Business]

• Facebook could soon let you invite a collaborator to your Reel. [@alex193a]

Instagram:

• Instagram has expanded its AI-powered age verification program to India and Brazil, and plans to launch it in the UK and EU by the end of the year. [TechCrunch]

• ...but Instagram is removing the 'Social Vouching' method of age verification. [Instagram blog]

• Instagram is testing a new desktop interface. [@jonah_manzano]

• Instagram has started testing the 'replace audio' option for Reels that was recently spotted in development. [@hammodoh1]

• Meta now requires all developers using 'Share To Instagram Stories' in their apps to have a registered Facebook App ID. [Meta News for Developers]

• Instagram is still working on group chat channels. [@alex193a]

WhatsApp:

• WhatsApp has increased the group chat limit to 1,024 participants. [9to5Google]

• WhatsApp's paid plan for businesses appears to only add two features: a custom chat link and improved multi-device support. [WABetaInfo]

• WhatsApp is testing a business tools tab in its beta app on Android. [WABetaInfo]

• WhatsApp is testing link detection in status updates. [WABetaInfo]

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

• The latest update to Quest's software adds a 'Lord of the Rings' Home Area, a Recent Apps tab, and more. [RoadtoVR]

• Liverpool FC has launched virtual apparel for Meta avatars. [@alexvoica]

• It's now also easier to report bugs in Horizon Worlds. [The Verge]

• Meta is working on text-to-audio A.I. [New Scientist $$$]

Twitter reviews policies around permanent user bans

Twitter is reviewing its policy on permanent bans, but Donald Trump is unlikely to get a reprieve. This could change if Elon Musk takes over

• Covid misinformation is the biggest problem Twitter's Birdwatch programme deals with. [The Verge]

Insights to give you an edge at work:

• Planning World Cup activity for a brand on Twitter? The company has some pointers. [Social Media Today]

New features and tests:

• Twitter has rolled out redesigned 3D HD emoji stickers. [@MattNavarra]

• Twitter has launched a new Home dashboard for Professional accounts. [Social Media Today]

• ...and there's a new Link Spotlight feature for professional accounts, but the domains supported are very limited. [Social Media Today]

• Twitter has been spotted testing a new navbar design. [@hammodoh1]

• Twitter is testing Spaces linked to Communities. [@HiCommunities]

• Twitter is testing new product cards for shopping in tweets. [Social Media Today]

• Twitter now age-restricts some media as a safety measure. [TechCrunch]

• Twitter is now testing the Spaces soundboard with all users on iOS. [@TwitterSpaces]

• Twitter is working on special Communities as a Super Follow benefit. [@wongmjane]

• Twitter continues to refine its in-development Shopping page. [@wongmjane]

• ...and Twitter is still working on notification options for Communities. [@alex193a]

• Twitter has launched hashflags for NHL teams. [Adweek $$$]

TikTok Parent ByteDance Sets Sights on Spotify With Music-Streaming Expansion

Music streaming on TikTok? It could happen, as ByteDance works on ambitious plans for its Spotify rival.

• TikTok plans to take on Amazon with its own fulfilment centres as it ramps up its ecommerce ambitions, according to a new report. [Axios]

• TikTok trainspotter Francis Bourgeois is making a celebrity interview show on YouTube with Channel 4. [@scottygb]

• The head of GCHQ isn't worried about young people in the UK using TikTok. [The Guardian]

• Universal Pictures is running a Halloween Ends Reels challenge on Messenger and Instagram, with a chance to meet Jamie Lee Curtis in Horizon Worlds as the prize. [AdWeek $$$]

New features and tests:

• TikTok's new Profile Kit will let users add up to six videos to third-party sites, starting with LinkTree. [TechCrunch]

• TikTok's new TikTok now lets users set spending limits for themselves on the gifts they send per day. [@jonah_manzano]

• TikTok has launched a new 'Showtimes' ad format designed to promote movies. [Deadline]

• ...and a new Focused View allows brands to only pay for ads when users watch them for at least six seconds....or interact with the ad during its first six seconds. [Adweek $$$]

• TikTok has been spotted offering voice search. [@Kendall_Swiftie]

• TikTok has launched new mental health support resources to tie in with World Mental Health Day. [Social Media Today]

• TikTok has revealed a bunch of Halloween-themed features. [Social Media Today]

💥 More social media news and updates

YouTube wants personal health stories to help combat misinformation

YouTube wants to improve the quality of health information on its platform. "Surfacing good information is just as important as removing bad information, YouTube’s head of public health partnerships said."

• China's virtual influencer market is booming. [Financial Times $$$]

• BeReal's downloads are soaring but daily users remain low. [Fast Company]

• Twitch claims a 70/30 revenue split with creators wouldn't be sustainable. [Eurogamer]

• Truth Social has been approved for Google's Play Store after the Trump-linked platform promised to enforce bans on things like inciting violence. [Axios]

• Twitter and TikTok are the greatest amplifiers of misinformation, a new report has found. [New York Times $$$]

• Social media monitoring app Dataminr is set to get a surveillance contract with the White House. [Insider $$$]

• One-third of UK under-18s lie about their age on social media, according to communications regulator Ofcom. [The Guardian]

• UK influencers want regulation to prevent racial discrimination in pay rates. [Campaign $$$]

• The UK's long-delayed Online Safety Bill should protect adults from self-harm content, charities have argued. [The Guardian]

• The White House continues to court online influencers to help get its message across. [NPR]

• Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen has co-founded a new pressure group to tackle social media safety. [CNBC]

• T-Mobile's US social media support workers are trying to form a union. [The Verge]

• Amazon's second Prime Day of the year was a flop on social media. [Bloomberg $$$]

• MrBeast says he doesn't really need money because he spends almost all his time making videos. [Insider]

New features and tests:

• YouTube has launched @username handles. [The Verge]

• YouTube has updated the analytics interface in its Studio app. [Social Media Today]

• Snapchat has expanded its parental controls to India. [TechCrunch]

• Snap has launched an AR guide to CPR to mark World Restart a Heart Day. [Social Media Today]

• Snapchat has added AR lenses let you try on and buy Halloween costumes. [Engadget]

• Snapchat now offers North Face outfits for your Bitmoji. [@techjalal]

• Snap is working on a custom story expiration for Snapchat+ subscribers. [@alex193a]

• LinkedIn has been spotted offering a Template option on its main 'new post' interface. [@oncescuradu]

• LinkedIn is reaching out to specific users to ask them to engage with specific posts. [@MattNavarra]

• ByteDance has launched a paid Pro subscription for CapCut. [@MattNavarra]

• Clubhouse could soon let you use sound effects in rooms. [@alex193a]

• Signal plans to remove SMS support on Android. [Bleeping Computer]

💲 Advertise in Geekout

• Geekout has 23,000+ subscribers

• Geekout subscribers manage social media for the world’s biggest brands including Apple, Amazon, BBC, Edelman, Redbull, Twitter, McDonalds, Nike, and more

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You should advertise in Geekout! Get in touch: [email protected]

📖 Weekend reading

Why strangers are adding you to their Instagram Close Friends and Twitter Circles

• The 5 behind-the-scenes stars of the creator economy of 2022

• 24 hours in the Metaverse version of Facebook was surprisingly fun

• Why strangers are adding you to their Instagram Close Friends and Twitter Circles

• Hacks and roasts: Inside the new social media currency

• TikTok's infinite scroll spotlights a growing media literacy crisis

😳 And finally...

"The town has become synonymous with the grandest of influencer travelscapes, clogging Instagram with photos of beautiful people on boats, staring back in wonder at the skyline behind them... It is also the most unpleasant place I have ever been."

📅 Back next week...

…You have reached the end of Geekout. Nice! 🤜🤛

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I appreciate your support ❤️

Goodbye, geeks!

– Matt

_______

This newsletter is edited by Martin SFP Bryant