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Hello, geeks!

What a week! 

Facebook is basically TikTok now, Instagram is becoming Facebook.

And with all the changes being made, social media managers wish they could bin them both off right now.

We’ll dig into this in a moment.

But first. Some random AF must-click… things?!:

Also. 

Right… Let’s get on with things. We’ve got a LOT to discuss!

—

🔥 GEEKOUT HOT 5

  1. Facebook has gone FULL-TikTok with new ‘Home’ feed [FB FYP FTW]

  2. Instagram confirm ALL videos uploaded will become Reels [FOR REAL]

  3. Judge grants Twitter expedited Elon Musk takeover farce trial [SUCK IT ELON]

  4. Facebook pivoting away from newsletters and news tab [PIVOT!! AGAIN]

  5. TikTok in defence mode as problems start stacking up [CRISIS MODE]

—

Switch your brain into download mode. Here’s your (speedy) rundown of everything else that’s new and noteworthy this week:

Twitter Spaces audio clipping tool is rolling out to all users, but it’s not great (Try it. You’ll see what I mean)... And Twitter will now remind you to add Alt Text to images in tweets (if you want it to).

TikTok is having a tough week. Creators are fed up with low payouts. Staff are losing their jobs. And tourist hotspots in Nepal are putting up “No TikTok” signs to keep creators away.

Instagram’s product team has been busy. This week it added new creative tools for Reels, including templates, an enhanced remix feature for photos, and a new dual camera mode. Instagram’s voice of doom (sorry, Adam) summarises the new features here. Also new on Instagram this week: 1. You can now ‘boost’ Reels clips, 2. Search for posts via Instagram’s new map feature, 3. Buy stuff via your DMs with Instagram’s new payment feature. 

Meanwhile, over on Facebook…You can now turn live gaming clips into Reels (seriously tired of hearing about Reels now)... And you can now create an avatar-themed cover image for your Facebook profile (FB does know most of its users are 40+ yrs old now?)... BTW did you know Facebook has a hidden ‘Quiet mode’ for videos?... Also… Facebook made a sneaky link tracking change.

LinkedIn has also been busy. Its NEW Business Manager tool now available… It's also testing a new ‘Follow on Linkedin’ button for creators… And it’s working on a new ‘Discover’ tab for its mobile app… LinkedIn also looks set to add a dedicated ‘Repost’ button (think Twitter retweet but on LI).

—

✨ HIDDEN GEM | SECRET INSTAGRAM FONT

Instagram has a secret Papyrus font to add some boomer meme vibes to your Stories. [SHOW ME HOW]

—

YouTube is leaning hard into shopping right now. It’s expanding access to its product tagging feature. And announced a new YouTube integration with Shopify… YouTube also added new features for Shorts creators (cut, greenscreen, drafts)... And for everyone else… You can now loop individual chapters in videos.

Twitch launched a new charity fundraising tool.. Microsoft Teams newest feature looks a LOT like Facebook… And Microsoft is doing the most Microsoft thing ever with stories… Amazon is suing 10,000 Facebook Group admins over fake reviews… And finally… Snapchat launched a desktop app (the Snapchat generation is growing up and needs tools!).

—

WORTH A LOOK 👀

💻 TECH POWER: SMMs share how tech helps them succeed. [READ MORE]

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

✨ EMOJIS: How to Unlock TikTok’s Hidden Emojis [REVEAL] 

📊 PRO-TIPS: How to Measure Instagram Reels Performance [SHOW ME]

📷 FREE GUIDE: Can I Use This Photo? Copyright for Social Media Managers [BOOKMARK] 

—

Alrighty then…. It’s time to dig a little deeper. Analysis of the news making the most headlines this week, coming up next. 👇

— Matt

P.S. Geekout will be taking a break for a couple of weeks while I take a well-earned rest. The next edition of Geekout will land on Friday 12th August.

📩 Must-subscribe

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Check it out and up your marketing game! [Ad]

🚨 Everyone's talking about...

Meta yesterday announced the biggest change to Facebook in years.

As the company's official announcement explained, there will be a new 'Home' feed full of algorithmically decided stuff from across Facebook that Meta thinks you'll like (a TikTok-style For You page, essentially) and a separate tab for "the content from the people and communities you’re already connected with on Facebook" - the old-school Facebook stuff.

But while Meta says the app will remember which tab you prefer, and even let you pin your favourite to open first, it's clear that the company thinks the new Home tab is the future of Facebook. This is the "discovery engine" Mark Zuckerberg has talked about in the past. Facebook says Home will help you 'find and follow new content and creators through recommendations".

This is the outcome of TikTok sucking all that sweet attention and engagement away from Meta. It's no coincidence that Instagram also announced that all videos under 15 minutes long will automatically become Reels and your public photos on the platform will be fair game for anyone to remix into a Reel (unless you opt out).

Creators will like these changes to both Facebook and Instagram; they bring with them potentially a big boost in audience without as much pressure to make videos in a normal Reels/TikTok style, but it's striking how much social apps are becoming less traditionally 'social'.

Messaging apps have picked up a lot of the things we did on Facebook 10 years ago, while TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram are increasingly more like the modern equivalent of flicking through a seemingly endless array of cable TV channels looking for a flicker of entertainment to hold your attention. They're just a lot better at it than the cable providers.

While Meta makes big changes to counter the rise of TikTok, TikTok has plenty of challenges of its own.

As US politicians use recent reports about how much TikTok data is accessible in China as an excuse to rattle their sabres against the company and allege aggressive data harvesting. In the face of this the company has rearranged its security leadership.

Meanwhile, it's facing pressure to hand over evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine, something that might not be particularly popular with a Chinese government that is being careful not to side against Russia. This highlights the core problem facing a company that sits across China and the West these days.

And the economy is starting to bite, with a staff restructure underway that has so far seen layoffs in the US, and jobs at risk in the UK and EU.

Then there's the TikTok creators who are complaining about poor payouts from the company's Creator Fund.

Oh and let's not forget a lawsuit filed this week alleging that TikTok displays more violent videos to non-white users than to white users.

With all this in mind, it's no surprise that TikTok's lobbying spend is on the rise while its comms team is getting bolder in pushing back against claims it thinks are unfair.

Still, for all the tough stuff, TikTok is still clocking up the wins. Data this week showed it is set to overtake Facebook for influencer marketing ad spend this year, and could overtake YouTube by 2024.

Twitter definitely gained the upper hand in this week's dose of Musk drama. The company was keen to get a speedy trial out of the way by October, and a judge has granted them their wish.

Twitter argued that Musk's arguments were a "contractually irrelevant sideshow", and following a hearing that was live tweeted in detail, judge Kathaleen McCormick agreed.

McCormick has the potential to be serious trouble for Musk. She has a history of siding with sellers in disputes like this, and last year even forced one acquirer to buy a company it no longer wanted to.

Of course, Musk is an unconventional chap, and even if he's forced to buy Twitter or pay an enormous fee to walk away, he might refuse. What happens then? Well, in the worst case, prison. And I'm pretty sure even a man who likes to depict himself as a laissez-faire edgelord would draw the line at that.

🧐 New feature first look

This week we caught a first glimpse of how Facebook's new multi-profile feature will work. Tap through on the image below to get all the details 👇

📆 Coming soon?

Current status: waiting for this intriguing new feature to launch. There could be a lot of potential in this one, and it's really close.

👀 Read of the week

"Beauty overstimulation” is now a thing, but what is it doing to our brains?

💡 New feature spotlight

This is REALLY handy...

🤦‍♂️ Fail of the week

'FedEx Help' hasn't had a very helpful week.

"Three years since the company lost track of a man's remains, they still haven't been found. Unfortunately, the FedEx Help Twitter account isn't that helpful."

🎧 Must-listen

This is a must for anyone trying to understand WTF 'The Metaverse' actually is (or will be).

💡 New feature spotlight

🧵 Top Twitter thread

Want to make sense of the GentleMinions meme phenomenon? Tap through to this great thread 👇

📈 Gone viral

Trends you need to know about from the past seven days...

It was hard to get away from talk about Pink Sauce this week. Somehow a condiment became a controversy.

This really good new game in which you play a cat lost in a futuristic city populated by robots became a social media hit as soon as it was released.

Is there anything more joyful than Drew Barrymore enjoying a walk in the rain? She REALLY likes it.

💬 Quote of the week

💡 New feature spotlight

LinkedIn's new Carousel posts are a powerful new feature it's worth trying. Tap through for more details about how they work... 👇

📄 Report of the week

Ofcom's new report this week is well worth a read..

💬 You can quote me on that

When I'm mentioned in the news, you'll it here...

It was great to see my Geekout podcast featured in Journalism.co.uk's list of must-listen podcasts.

🤔 Thought for the week

How much you share about your kids online is up to you, but should you consider what the kids might want in the future?

🤑 Brands on social

Well played, Aldi UK social team, for this excellent bit of engagement bait.

They got some great results that are worth scrolling through in full, but here's a taste:

📊 Chart of the week

🔢 Stat of the week

🐣 Top tweets

You've GOT to tap through to get the full effect from this one 👇

❓ Question of the week

What is the etiquette here? My followers had plenty of opinions. Tap through to read them and get involved 👇

It seems most people like to wait at least a while. Only SOME people though...

🔵 Meta news

Surprise! Or not... Another set of news-related projects get deprioritised at Meta.

  • Meta's forced sale of Giphy has been halted in the UK after a judge ordered a review. This saga just won't end. [Bloomberg $$$]

  • Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg have been deposed to answer questions as part of a California court case relating to the Cambridge Analytica scandal. [The Guardian]

  • Facebook has been spotted encrypting link tracking to get around privacy-improving URL stripping. [ghacks.net]

  • An immersive technologies company called MetaX is suing Meta over its name change from Facebook. [Bloomberg $$$]

  • Amazon has sued admins from 10,000 Facebook groups over fake reviews. [TechCrunch]

Insights to give you an edge at work:

  • How the Washington Post topped 6 million Instagram followers [Adweek $$$]

  • Meta has introduced Small Business Studios events for SMBs. [Adweek $$$] 

New features and tests:

Facebook:

  • Facebook has a new Avatar cover image feature for profiles. [@MattNavarra]

  • Facebook Gaming now lets creators turn their live gameplay clips into Reels. [TechCrunch]

  • Meta is notifying sellers about their account health status on Facebook. [@MattNavarra]

Instagram:

  • Instagram has added a new 'Boost' promotion option for Reels clips less than 60 seconds long in 9:16 aspect ratio. [Social Media Today] 

  • Instagram has introduced a new searchable map to help you discover popular locations and businesses. [TechCrunch]

  • Instagram is rolling out location and hashtag Stories. [@hammodoh1]

  • Instagram has added a dual camera mode to Reels. [@jonah_manzano]

  • Instagram is rolling out shopping via chat in the US. [Engadget]

  • Instagram now lets you display a link to your Facebook Group on your profile. [@MattNavarra]

  • Instagram has a hidden Papyrus font. [@MattNavarra]

WhatsApp:

  • WhatsApp has fully rolled out the ability to transfer chats from iOS to Android and vice versa. [@WhatsApp]

  • WhatsApp could soon support Meta's avatars. [WABetaInfo]

  • WhatsApp is testing reaction previews in the chat list. [WABetaInfo]

  • WhatsApp could soon add timers for vanishing messages. [Android Police]

  • WhatsApp is still working on quick reactions for status updates. [WABetaInfo]

  • WhatsApp is testing letting you hide your online status from everyone. [WABetaInfo]

Quest/VR/devices:

  • Meta's avatar store has partnered with DressX to offer a new range of virtual clothing. [Input]

🐣 Twitter news

"The company pays some employees as much as 225 percent more than those in the same role, depending on where they're based."

  • Netflix has shut down its customer support account on Twitter. [Variety]

Insights to give you an edge at work:

New features and tests:

  • Twitter has rolled out clip sharing to all Android and iOS users, with the web to follow. [The Verge]

  • Twitter is testing notifications 'related to your recent search'. [@MattNavarra]

  • Twitter has started showing 'Liked by Author' labels in replies to tweets. [@SarahTrad]

  • Twitter has added an option to turn on/off Alt Text reminders for tweets. [@MattNavarra]

  • You can turn off Twitter's new 'chirp' refresh sound if you don't like it. [The Verge]

🔺 TikTok news

"Prominent tourist and religious sites in Nepal are putting up “No TikTok” signs to keep creators from shooting at the premises."

  • TikTok has launched an Ambassadors programme in the UK [TikTok Newsroom]

  • A creator claims TikTok muted her viral video designed to expose scams. [Daily Dot]

  • ByteDance is exploring designing its own chips. [Reuters $$$]

  • Walgreens has teamed up with TikTok 'granfluencers' to reach older consumers. [AdAge $$$]

New features and tests:

  • TikTok is expanding auto caption and translation tools to more languages on iOS. [9to5Mac]

💥 More social media news and updates

"To start, Snapchat for Web will be available to Snapchat+ subscribers in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

"After the initial launch, the company plans to roll out Snapchat for Web to Snapchat+ subscribers in France, Germany, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, before making it accessible to all users around the world."

  • Snapchat's growth is slowing, and Evan Spiegel isn't happy. [The Verge]

  • BeReal continues to grow in popularity, but might struggle to keep users around. [The Verge]

  • Russian anti-Ukraine propaganda is thriving on social platforms as social media companies don't do enough to combat it, according to a new report. [Washington Post $$$]

  • YouTube has reduced the Content ID appeal process from 30 to seven days. [9to5Google]

  • Meta, TikTok and Twitter have signed up to Indonesia's strict new content law which enables authorities to censor platforms. [Financial Times $$$]

  • YouTube is making changes to its rules around political ads and content in the US. [Search Engine Land]

  • YouTube has hired tech journalist and YouTuber Rene Ritchie as its new creator liaison. [TubeFilter]

  • YouTube is paying creators to test new shopping tools. [Insider $$$]

  • LinkedIn is launching its second Creator Accelerator Program. [Insider $$$]

  • LinkedIn remains the most popular venue for phishing attempts online. [Techradar]

  • New research has revealed Reddit’s seemingly inconsistent approach to monetising its communities. [Marketing Brew]

  • Snap has invested in an influencer-focused resale platform called Galaxy. [Input]

  • Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian says he used to personally congratulate the site's top post creator each day by email. [Insider $$$]

Insights to give you an edge at work:

  • Planning ahead the the holiday season? Reddit has published a marketing guide for you. [Social Media Today]

  • Creator job listings are on the rise. LinkedIn has shared some insights on the trend. [Social Media Today]

New features and tests:

  • YouTube has announced in shopping features and a partnership with Shopify. [TechCrunch]

  • YouTube now lets you save multiple draft Shorts. [@jonah_manzano]

  • YouTube has added a bunch of new creative features to Shorts. [@MattNavarra]

  • YouTube now supports looping individual video chapters. [Android Police]

  • YouTube is rolling out text formatting for video descriptions. [Social Media Today]

  • LinkedIn has launched its Business Manager feature in public beta. [Social Media Today]

  • LinkedIn is working on a Discover tab. [@nima_owji]

  • LinkedIn is renaming 'Share' to 'Repost'. [@nima_owji]

  • LinkedIn could soon offer a 'Follow' button that creators can add to their own websites. [@nima_owji]

  • Twitch is launching a new feature to make it easier to run streams for charity. [The Verge]

  • Twitch has launched a customised Raids feature and the ability to share a list of banned accounts. [Eurogamer]

  • Discord voice chat is coming to Xbox. [The Verge]

  • Tumblr is testing converting GIFs to looping MP4 videos for faster loading. [@MattNavarra]

  • Microsoft has added Stories to Teams, with a new 'Viva Engage' feature. [The Verge]

💲 Advertise in Geekout

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You should advertise in Geekout!

Get in touch: [email protected]

📖 Weekend reading

"How a bizarre obsession with the most sought-after handles on social media spawned a deadly campaign of terror."

😳 And finally...

BeReal is still on the rise, and this week the memes have been... real.

📅 Back in two weeks...

… You’ve only gone and bloody done it!

You’ve read to the end of Geekout. 

Nice 😌

Right… Time to get my ass to Los Angeles. I’m off on vacation for two weeks. I need a digital detox and a chance to recharge. 

Goodbye, geeks! Remember, I'll be back in your inbox on 12 August,.

— Matt 

______

This newsletter is edited by Martin SFP Bryant

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