Zuck wants Facebook’s ‘OG’ magic back

... Poke me if you’ve heard this one before

Author

Matt Navarra
March 28, 2025

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Hello, geeks!

What a week it’s been in social media land!

The U.S Government’s Signal leak national security nightmare

…Zuck bringing the ‘OG Facebook’ vibe back

…Brands wanting to tell us all about their ‘wild’ morning routines

…And Snap’s CEO revealing what he really thinks of Mark ‘copy/paste’ Zuckerberg.

We’ll get into all that and more, in a moment.

But first, I highly recommend checking out these:
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*Not an ad. Just a like-for-like cross promo with a newsletter I love.

Want to run a cross promo with Geekout? Get in touch!

__________

Confessions of a Social Media Manager - Part II 🤐

Following my callout last week for your wildest true social media confessions, my inbox exploded with jaw-dropping stories of chaos, celebrity drama, and brand meltdowns.

Unsurprisingly, most of you wanted your stories to remain strictly off the record—especially the ones involving major celebs or globally recognized brands (I don’t blame you!).

But thankfully, a brave few were happy for me to publicly air their dirty laundry.

So, grab your popcorn 🍿—here is one of the most cringe-worthy confessions I've been allowed to share.

I promise it’s exactly as submitted, no edits made. Proceed with caution: this might hit a little close to home! 😬

The Ice Bucket Backfire Confession 🥶

In 2014, I was working for a new nonprofit start-up in the healthcare space. The Ice Bucket Challenge took the world by storm and copycats were everywhere.

Our CEO, an idea tornado on any given day, rushed out of his office and called me and the marketing director over—he wanted to do a version of the Ice Bucket Challenge too.

I advised against it, saying it's not a good idea to ride the coattails of a social media trend that big and popular. The director of marketing said the same thing. Our patient advocates who were our in-house influencers repeated the same concerns.

He got pissed at us for raining on his parade and contacted a friend of his who ran a marketing agency. They set up a landing page and upon their ill-advised recommendation, made it unbranded, and it didn't link to us in any way to collect donations (like....why?!).

So we rolled it out, and there were two outcomes:

(1.) People thought the campaign was created by our competitor, a well-established nonprofit that is known worldwide. People directed funds to them. We received about $500 in donations, largely from staff and people from the CEO's inner circle who felt bad for him.

(2.) A magazine that was an industry leader was working on an article about all the Ice Bucket Challenge copycats that were trying to achieve the same reach and success. They wanted to interview our CEO. He got all starry-eyed because he thought this would launch him into fame.

The marketing director and I begged him to talk to us before the interview to prepare and come up with talking points, because we were sure they were going to make fun of him. He ghosted us and did the interview.

When the article was published, they opened with his quote, in which he claimed to have come up with the idea first but didn't act on it fast enough. They portrayed him as ridiculous and vain. The journalist hassled us for months after, wanting an update on our campaign,  which had failed miserably and they knew it. 

To this day, whenever someone comes to me with a "brilliant idea" for a social campaign, I cringe. 

__________

🔥 Got your own outrageous social media confession? Just hit reply and spill the tea (discretion guaranteed!).

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🔥 GEEKOUT HOT 5

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

Meta Looks to Bring Back ‘OG Facebook’ With Revamped Friends Tab

Can Facebook re-capture its original allure with a new focus on friends?

  1. Meta is considering charging for ad-free Facebook and Instagram in the UK [RE-POSITIONING]

  2. Elon Musk’s X sees ad sales surge by 16.5%—But fear, not features, is driving it [THREATENING]

  3. Elon Musk pressured Reddit CEO during moderator revolt over Nazi-style salute [DICTATING]

  4. Signal head defended messaging app's security after US war plan leak [SHIELDING]

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🚨 EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT…

The return of OG Facebook

Facebook debuts a revamped Friends tab as part of its return to 'OG' Facebook

How many times have you heard someone say they wished Facebook would go back to when it was just about you and your friends?

Well, after teasing the idea of a friends-first Facebook a couple of months ago, Mark Zuckerberg yesterday announced the all-new ‘Friends’ tab.

Launching first in the US and Canada (ironically, two countries that aren’t really friends with each other at the moment), this tab will be home to all of your friends’ posts, Reels, Stories, birthdays, and friend requests.

It’s what Zuck referred to earlier this year as a “return to OG Facebook”. About time too.

Given how bloated and messy Meta’s apps often get (especially Facebook and Instagram), regular clearing house and refocusing is a cycle we’re all used to.

While this particular rethink of Facebook is a good one that helps stop Facebook being all about Marketplace, Groups, and bad viral AI memes, I can’t help look at all the other pivots the app has taken over the years (Pro-news! Anti-news! etc) and wonder how long before Zuck has a change of heart.

Will he change his mind a few months from now? Will he decide friends are soooo 2025, and that in 2026 it’s all about VR gaming content… or creators… or (you never know!) news again?

Enjoy the Friends tab while you have it. It makes perfect sense for Facebook to have it. But if you don’t use it, history tells us, you’ll lose it.

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✨ NEW & NOTEWORTHY

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

Meta / Facebook 👥

Facebook’s new ‘Enhanced’ web browsing option

  • Meta has settled a UK ad-tracking lawsuit by halting tracking of one user. It could roll out ad-free subscription options in the UK, like in the EU 🚫

  • EU to slap Meta with fine up to $1 billion or more for breaching strict antitrust rules [Link]

  • …but the EU is now reportedly set to limit Meta’s fine to avoid the ire of Donald Trump

  • The EU last year pressed Meta to separate Marketplace to fix antitrust issues, it has been revealed

  • Meta is introducing the ability for advertisers to request email addresses before sharing promo codes in promotion ads

  • Meta is pitching agency giants on bulk ad buys, resold at a markup—locking in spend & keeping control.

  • Facebook has made enhancements to its web browsing experience 

  • Facebook now allows Page admins to create custom badge names

__________


Instagram ✨

Instagram’s new x2 speed playback option for Reels

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WhatsApp 💬 

WhatsApp can now be set as default call and messaging app on iPhone

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Twitter (‘X’) 🤡

X’s new ‘React with video’ feature

  • X has added a “react with video” option that lets users reply with video responses over posts, like TikTok’s replies 🤪🤳🏻

  • X's director of engineering has abruptly left the company, leaving questions about the reasons behind his departure

  • X could dodge millions in taxes if the UK drops its Digital Services Tax in a trade deal with the US

  • Elon Musk’s ‘truth-seeking’ Grok chatbot often disagrees with his political statements, a study has found

  • X is testing a new video and post editing feature on iOS, called Cutout

  • Former Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal and other ex-execs suing Elon Musk for $128M in unpaid severance have agreed to alternative dispute resolution

__________


YouTube 📺

YouTube’s new livestreamer breaks feature

__________


TikTok 📱

TikTok LIVE’s new Service+ feature

  • TikTok Live now has a Service+ feature to help creators monetise their skills, rather than just sell products 💼

  • TikTok now lets some users upload ONE HOUR LONG videos!

  • TikTok has removed an AI 'chubby' filter after body-shaming criticism

  • TikTok Ban: ByteDance’s biggest US investors are exploring a deal with Oracle to assure Trump that the TikTok is free of Chinese control and keep the US version of the app live

  • …Perplexity AI says it would rebuild TikTok's algorithm and add Community Notes features if its bid to merge with TikTok is successful

  • …Donald Trump says he may cut tariffs on China to help seal a deal for TikTok to be sold

  • …But 3 Democratic senators warn that Trump’s 75-day delay on the TikTok ban is “unlawful”

  • …Meanwhile, TikTok has ramped up a feel-good ad blitz as its US ban deadline nears

  • TikTok Shop is launching in France, Germany, and Italy next week

  • ByteDance slammed its US ecommerce team for missing 2024 sales goals, pushing harsh reviews and staff cuts

  • TikTok Studio now lets streamers quickly connect a second camera—like a phone, tablet, or friend’s device—by scanning a QR code

  • TikTok now lets you send avatars in chat and react to stories.

  • TikTok now allows users to “select creatives” when promoting a post

  • TikTok now automatically resizes photos to a 3:4 format

  • TikTok has added a new feature for artists, letting you add members to your account such as a manager or agent

__________


Snapchat / Signal / LinkedIn / More… 👻

Snapchat Bitmoji’s fresh new threads for spring

  • Signal downloads surged after the US government chat blunder this week 📈

  • …and Signal chat records must be preserved, a federal judge told the Trump administration (will they listen?)

  • Barack Obama joined Bluesky and already has over 320,000 followers

  • Snapchat has added AR effects to tie in with the new Minecraft movie

  • Snapchat Bitmoji have some fresh threads for spring, including new Prada items

  • Reddit’s Conversation Ads now show in comments, can auto-fill slots and offer better tracking.

  • Pinterest is adding full-width modules to the home feed to spark more discovery by highlighting related topics and fresh content

  • Discord’s redesigned PC app has multiple dark modes, a new overlay and more

  • LinkedIn has added custom date ranges in analytics and expanded newsletter analytics

  • Linkedin rolled out improvements for its Campaign Manager tool, including dynamic UTMs, AI-powered campaign performance insights, and 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 Continues To Integrate AI Bot Profiles Into Its Apps

Millions of bots are expected to integrate into AI-powered profiles across Facebook and Instagram.

More new AI tools and features 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:

I talked to BBC News about Meta considering charging for ad-free versions of Facebook and Instagram in the UK:

Also this week:

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😆 LOL

I really wish they’d done this for real…

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📈 MEMES

The hilarious/horrifying story about the White House copyign a journalist into a classified war chat on an unauthorised chat app has been EVERYWHERE thiw week…

…and it was perfect meme fodder.

Signal’s founder even got involved…

Also:

  • Social media roasts the 'F' out of Trump over new fighter jet name…

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🌡️ VIRAL

If you missed this… catch up NOW. It’s the most insane morning routine you’ll ever see.

My favourite bit is where he appears to take four minutes to dive into the water, but rubbing banana on his face is a close second.

Fitness influencer's morning routine goes viral for all the wrong reasons

Google searches for Saratoga Water spiked by 1,000% after its blue bottle appeared in the multiple times, making us wonder if it was undisclosed product placement or just a massive gift for the brand.

Also:

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🪧 BRANDS

SHUT UP, BRANDS: Everyone wants to be Duolingo, it seems. Brands pretending to kill their products have been EVERYWHERE lately.

'RIP Middle Aisle': The Aldi announcement that gave shoppers 'heart attacks'

At least Aldi didn’t try to fool people (for too long)…

Also:

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🙊 WHAT DID YOU SAY?!

“[TikTok] …It’s like crack cocaine for people…”

– Evan Spiegel’s is keen that people don’t lump TikTok and Snapchat together

Also overheard this week:

  • “[Meta] repurposes our inventions to make products that make people feel unhappy and bad about themselves.” – Snap co-founder Evan Spiegel doesn’t hold back on Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO podcast

  • “Where the world was five years ago is very different than where it is today” – YouTube CEO Neal Mohan believes it is right that content moderation has changed between 2020 and 2025

  • “If I was CEO, that’s one of the first things I’d fast-track” – MrBeast wants Facebook to allow for multi-language audio in videos, he says its absence “sucks” cuts his viewership in half vs YouTube

  • MrBeast says Facebook pays double for short-form videos vs. other platforms.

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📺 MUST WATCH

SNAPPING BACK: Snap CEO and co-founder Evan Spiegel had a LOT to say in his 2.5-hour interview with Steven Bartlett this week.

He talks candidly about content moderation, AR glasses, how he really feels about Mark Zuckerberg copying Snapchat, and more…

Also:

Colin and Samir interviewed Mark Zuckerberg AND MrBeast together to talk the future of creators, Zuck’s OG Facebook plans, and MrBeast’s advice to Zuck on how fix the blue app.

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👀 MY FAV READS

HELLO, KIDZ… AGAIN: Facebook might be going back to its roots, but can it ever be cool again?

How Facebook lost its groove

😮 WTF?!

No, JD Vance hasn’t been badmouthing Elon Musk (well, not on recorded audio, anyway).

That hasn’t stopped the audio gong viral. 😬

Viral Audio of JD Vance Badmouthing Elon Musk Is Fake, Just the Tip of the AI Iceberg

AI-generated audio of Vance saying Musk is “cosplaying as a great American leader” has been played more than 2 million times on TikTok alone.

Also this week 👀

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📲 NEW APPS

OUT-RAGEOUS: “Sez Us flips the script—users who troll or rage-bait get less reach, not more.”

A New Social Media App Punishes Users for Rage-Baiting

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👔 YOU’RE HIRED!

Hot new social media jobs worth checking out this week:

Vans is looking for a Brand Social & Community Manager [New York City, NY, USA]

More top social media jobs spotted this week 💼

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🪦 RIP

Social media features heading for the graveyard:

A NOTE TO SAY GOODBYE: Instagram says that Notes on feed posts and Reels haven't caught on, so they’re heading for the [not-so] great feature bin in the sky…

Instagram Removes Notes From Feed Posts and Reels

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🤦‍♂️ FAIL

CLAP BACK: Elon Musk had egg on his face after he once again complained about the new Assassin’s Creed game (he thinks it’s ‘woke’, obv.).

The Assassin’s Creed social media team handled this one brilliantly, speaking more truth to power than most of the American news media has recently.

They ribbed him for paying people to grind games for him. Bravo!

Elon Musk made fool of by Assassin's Creed social media team

Also:

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👌 PRO TIPS

The Ultimate Guide to Photo Dumps on Instagram for Brands in 2025

Photo dumps have transformed from a trend into an Instagram mainstay; here’s everything you need to know about posting authentic photo dumps in 2025.

More pro-tips and insights worth checking out ✨

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📊 SOCIAL STATS

$34,000

- How much the old Twitter bird logo sign from its HQ sold for at auction

Even more social stats: 📈

  • FEAR FACTOR: X will hit $1.31 billion US ad sales (+17.5%) and $2.26 billion globally (+16.5%) in 2025 — the first growth since Musk’s takeover, but advertisers seem to be wanting to stay in his good books

  • THREADING UP: Newsweek’s Threads traffic is up 20x since January — now outperforming X in referrals despite Newsweek having 3.5 million followers on X compared to just 160,000 followers on Threads

  • ENFORCEMENT: TikTok removed 36,740 political ads in H2 2024

  • BOOMER BOOM: YouTube viewership on TV among people aged 65+ has nearly doubled in 2 years (+96%)

  • SOCIAL SHOPPING: 30.9% of global digital shoppers made purchases via social platforms

  • SECRET SOCIAL: 48% of Gen Z messaged someone on social last week — private chats are where real engagement happens

  • GEN Z SEARCH: 46% of Gen Z now prefer TikTok, Instagram, YoutTube and Reddit for search over Google

  • SMALL IS BIG: Nano-influencer spend is up 36.2% in 2025—authenticity is more important than follower count.

  • FALSE INFO: Over 50% of top ADHD TikToks share misleading or false info

  • POD SAVE AMERICA: 70% of Americans (aged 12+) have listened to a podcast, and 50% of Americans have watched a video podcast

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📈 CHARTED

People can’t get out of the habit of calling X, Twitter

I wonder if most people do it just to wind up Elon Musk 😀

More charted social insights spotted this week: 👀.

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MORE META NEWS

‘No consent’: Australian authors ‘livid’ that Meta may have used their books to train AI

A searchable database showed titles from former prime ministers Malcolm Turnbull and John Howard, as well as journalist Tracey Spicer

  • Meta has revenue-sharing deals with platforms that host and sell access to its Llama models, and SEC filing has revealed. [TechCrunch]

  • WhatsApp has had a boost in fighting a €225m privacy fine, winning the backing of an EU court adviser. [Reuters $$$]

  • Meta has lost two execs overseeing the company's largest markets and key advertising verticals. [Business Insider $$$]

  • Meta is seeking an AI partnership with India’s Reliance. [The Information $$$]

  • Best Buy and Meta have partnered on a tool that lets brands target Best Buy shoppers on Facebook and Instagram via Meta’s Advantage+ ads. [Marketing Brew]

New features and tests:

Facebook:

  • Facebook has added a ‘Thoughts’ sticker. [@oncescuradu]

  • Facebook has tweaked the search results page, making it more compact. [@theahmedghanem]

Instagram:

  • Instagram now gives you the option to message everyone mentioned in a Story, or select specific people to reply to. [@theahmedghanem]

  • Instagram now allows you to start a group chat by adding others directly from the story comments box. [@theahmedghanem]

  • Instagram story mode now includes the options to open Threads or ‘View on Threads’. [@jonahmanzano]

  • Instagram has started showing a splash message stating that Reels from profiles with a verified badge typically get more engagement. [@theahmedghanem]

  • Instagram now lets you add friends to Favorites directly from the share sheet. [@theahmedghanem]

WhatsApp:

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

  • Meta Quest’s latest update lets you use your Meta avatar as a virtual webcam. [Upload VR]

  • Meta Quest might add single window screensharing in VR soon. [The Verge]

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MORE TIKTOK NEWS

TikTok Ad Executive Steps Down as Part of Reorganization

A TikTok executive responsible for its core advertising business is stepping aside as part of a reorganization, the latest management change at the company facing an April 5 deadline to reach a US sale deal.

  • TikTok has appointed a former Warner Bros Discovery exec as its new Global Corporate Comms Chief. [Deadline]

  • TikTok is updating its Intellectual Property Policy, effective April 26, 2025. [@jonahmanzano]

New features and tests:

  • TikTok is now suggesting post comments in TikTok Search as ‘related to your search’. [@oncescuradu]

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💥 EVEN MORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS & UPDATES

Pentagon Warned Staff About Using Signal a Week Before Leak

A security risk memo didn’t stop the national security adviser from putting sensitive information on the messaging app.

  • Murdered teenager Brianna Ghey’s mother has called for a social media ban for under-16s. [The Guardian]

  • … but teens say a ban is ‘neither practical nor effective’ [The Guardian]

  • Utah has become the first US state to require age verification for app stores. [Engadget]

  • MrBeast has plans to launch his own tools for creators, a leaked pitch deck for investors shows. [Business Insider $$$]

  • Creator services company Spotter held its own big-name Upfronts event in NYC this week, featuring MrBeast and more. [TubeFilter]

  • Italy is targeting Meta, X, and LinkedIn in a landmark VAT case. [Reuters $$$]

  • Delaware has passed a ‘billionaires bill’ to keep Meta and others from following Musk out the door. [Quartz]

  • Pinterest has renewed its Coachella partnership, inviting Gen Z to "remix themselves" with trend-inspired looks and live styling experiences. [Pinterest newsroom]

  • A new Bloomberg documentary explores how social media fuels a teen Fentanyl crisis. [Hollywood Reporter]

  • OnlyFans was fined £1.05 million for age-check failures in the UK. [BBC News]

New features and tests:

  • Clubhouse is working on paid features, such as the ability to listen anonymously. [@alex193a]

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📰 WEEKEND READS

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

“You're not hearing things — many content creators do have similar voices. And there's a very specific reason for that.”

What's An 'Influencer Accent'? Here's Why Your Favorite Creators All Sound The Same.

More great weekend reads:

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😳 AND FINALLY…

ZUCKCEPTION!: Mark Zuckerberg now owns a shirt Jesse Eisenberg wore while portraying him in ‘The Social Network’

'It's my shirt now': Mark Zuckerberg bought the shirt Jesse Eisenberg wore when playing him in 'The Social Network'

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📅 BACK NEXT WEEK…

That’s all folks. You can give your thumb a rest from scrolling.

I’m heading off to post a TikTok about my “wild” morning routine… 🥱

…Get out of bed. Walk downstairs. Eat breakfast. Sit at desk in my office. Open laptop. Endlessly scroll social media news feeds...

I don’t think this one’s gonna go viral.

Have a great weekend!

Goodbye, geeks!

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

.

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