This spicy book has Meta FUMING

...Never heard of the Streisand Effect, Zuck? 🤦🏻‍♂️

Author

Matt Navarra
March 14, 2025

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Hello, geeks!

Welcome to a less rant-laden edition of Geekout. 🧘

Breaking News… The sports governing body I tore into last week has just responded to my email after two weeks of ignoring me. but what did it say?

More on that in a moment.

But first, trust me, these are worth checking out:

** Not an ad. Just a like-for-like cross promo with a newsletter I enjoy.

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

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When a ‘VIP Deal’ Turns Into a Rage-Inducing Battle Part II - Spilling the Tea 🫖

Last week’s Geekout rant about my “VIP deal gone wrong” seemed to hit a nerve.

I had over 100 replies and DMs after sharing the story in this newsletter and on LinkedIn.

Most of you had one clear message for me:

Name and shame them. Burn them to the ground. Light the digital torches and let them feel the full force of creator and freelancer justice.

I won’t lie… I was tempted.

So, on Monday, I sent them one final, spicy email (see below) — a last chance to do the right thing.

I made it crystal clear: either they honour the agreement, or I would publicly call them out, approach their sponsors and media partners, and seek legal action to recover what I’m owed.

Their response? Silence.

But, just hours before hitting publish on this week’s Geekout, an email finally landed.

Their offer? 2 VIP tickets — and no sneaky requirement to post content during the event..

Is it the full three passes they originally promised? No.
Is it more than their pathetic “one pass and £500” counteroffer? Yes.
Did they blink first? Absolutely.

So, I’m calling it a win (albeit a slightly frustrating one).

Turns out, a little brinkmanship works wonders when dealing with organisations that try to screw over freelancers.

But here’s a question:

Would you accept the settlement offer? OR push for what was originally agreed?

👉 Hit reply and let me know.

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🔥 GEEKOUT HOT 5

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

Meta blocks whistleblower from promoting book, guaranteeing way more people will read it

The former employee couldn't have asked for better publicity.

  1. Meta begins testing Community Notes on Facebook, Instagram, Threads [MODERATING]

  2. Elon Musk blames Ukrainians for massive cyberattack on X [PROVOKING]

  3. Trump says US talking to four different groups on sale of TikTok [NEGOTIATING]

  4. Oracle is leading contender to help run TikTok U.S in new deal [DEAL-MAKING]

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Every weekday, you get breaking news, insights, advertising hacks, tips and tactics for all your digital marketing channels:

  • Facebook

  • Google

  • Content marketing

  • SEO

  • Snap

  • TikTok

  • Email
    … and countless others.

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And it's time we talk about real AI ROI, isn't it? 

These aren't your regular AI co-pilots; they're full-blown marketing pros that join your team, ready to roll up their digital sleeves and drive transformative results across multiple marketing verticals.

While your human team focuses on strategy and creativity, your AI agents handle data analysis, competitor research, weekly planning, content creation, and campaign optimization with relentless precision and zero downtime.

Think of it like having a 24/7 marketing team that never takes a coffee break (or a vacation, for that matter). The KPIs that once seemed impossible with your limited headcount are now firmly within reach.

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✨ NEW & NOTEWORTHY

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

Meta / Facebook 👥

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Instagram ✨

Instagram’s new ‘Blend’ feed feature

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WhatsApp 🟢 / Threads 🧵 

WhatsApp’s new option to turn off camera before accepting a video call

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Twitter (‘X’) 🤡

  • X is offering a trip to Mars (yes, Mars) or a $250,000 cash alternative prize in its March Madness competition (Chance of winner going to Mars: 0) 🚀

  • Elon Musk will face questioning in an investor lawsuit over his Twitter acquisition

  • Movie studios are reportedly seeing positive results as they resume advertising on X

  • Media Matters has accused X of 'abusive' tactics to suppress its reporting, in new lawsuit

  • Fake news spreads further on X if the story is about the future

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YouTube 📺

  • YouTube has announced a series of ‘Creator Collective’ IRL events 🎟️

  • YouTube is increasing manual reviews of videos to improve ad placement accuracy

  • YouTube is encouraging brands to invest in Shorts as viewership rises

  • YouTube has explained how its ‘Shows’ feature will help to push creators’ episodic content

  • YouTube is offering new tips to help creators make the most of shopping features

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TikTok 📱

TikTok’s new full-screen reminders to remind teens to log off after 10pm

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Bluesky / LinkedIn / Snapchat / 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:

Instagram Is Infusing Search with More AI, Pulling In Outside Links

Brands will need to be confident that the information being pulled into the search results is what they want people to see

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:

Is silence the ultimate social media flex..?

I gave Pop Sugar my take on how social media users have moved towards more intentional online engagement…

The Coolest People Online Are Barely Posting at All

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📖 FULLY BOOKED

META IS MAD: Meta was NOT happy with the publication this week of a memoir by former employee Sarah Wynn-Williams. 📘🔥

The author ended up the subject of a legal intervention from the company this week.

Meta has clearly never heard of the Streisand Effect…

The company’s freakout has helped the book to best-seller status…

A Meta tell-all memoir is soaring on Amazon's best-sellers rankings after legal efforts to quash it

Among the allegations the author makes are:

  • Mark Zuckerberg was wasn’t keen about taking meetings with world leaders

  • Meta allegedly attempted to expand into China by creating a censorship tool

  • She says she faced harassment and retaliation during her time at the company

  • Former senior Facebook exec Sheryl Sandberg told a female aide to “come to bed”

  • A former senior Facebook employee allegedly let Mark Zuckerberg win a game of ‘Settlers of Catan’. The employee denies this.

BUT: Meta says “This is a mix of out-of-date and previously reported claims about the company and false accusations about our executives”

Make up your own mind with the help of the author’s interview with the BBC this week.

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😆 LOL

Meanwhile, on Flipboard’s upcoming Surf app (now in beta):

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🌡️ VIRAL

Here’s a strange one… Why are Christian religious messages suddenly all over TikTok?

Dig into the bizarre activity going down in the TikTok comments section this week…

Why are TikTok comments suddenly full of religious messages?

Jesus, God, even Satan are getting name-dropped in the comments section.

Also:

  • TikTok and Instagram "vox pop" accounts are gaining popularity by capturing candid interviews and street-style content 🎙️

  • An American influencer who snatched a baby wombat has left Australia after a public outcry 🇦🇺

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🪧 BRANDS

UNI-LEVERING SOCIAL: Unilever’s CEO says the company will increase its media spend on social channels from about 30% to 50% of its budget…

…And work with 20x more creators and influencers in 2025 😮

50% of Unilever's ad spend will go to social media. Will an influencer-first strategy work?

Also spotted this week:

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🙊 WHAT DID YOU SAY?!

“I think there's a real danger that we're facing” 

- Signal president Meredith Whittaker, a privacy advocate, speaks out about how much access AI agents could need to our data to make them work. Are we ready for that?

Also overheard this week:

  • Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary thinks a US TikTok deal could improve America’s relationship with China

  • Meta is trying to “offload” kids safety onto app stores with new bills, Google says

  • Meta AI chief Yann LeCun says Trump's “witch hunt” is driving scientists away

  • The European Union's social media law "does not regulate speech," EU tech boss Henna Virkkunen told a US lawmaker who described EU tech rules as censorship

  • Social media operators must be “brought to heel”, says Manny Botwe, the president of the UK’s Association of School and College Leaders

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📺 MUST WATCH

‘Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing' premieres next month on Netflix. It’s a deep dive into the world of child influencers…

The three-part docuseries looks into claims 11 influencers made against one online star's “momager”…

'Bad Influence' Docuseries Examines Allegations of Child Influencer Exploitation

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👀 MY FAV READS

“There's a secret side of YouTube, just beyond the guiding hand of the algorithm – and it’s nothing like what you know.”

The hidden world beneath the shadows of YouTube's algorithm

Also:

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🤦‍♂️ FAIL

Reddit apparently flags the word 'Luigi' as potentially violent… even if you’re talking about Mario’s brother.

I mean, Bowser would probably agree, tbf 🕹️

Here's why Reddit flags the word 'Luigi' as potentially violent

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😮 WTF?!

Bluesky quickly sold out of the T-shirt its CEO wore to troll Mark Zuckerberg

When Bluesky CEO Jay Graber took the SXSW stage this week, she managed to make fun of Mark Zuckerberg without mentioning Meta at all.

Also this week 👀

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👔 YOU’RE HIRED!

Hot new social media jobs worth checking out this week:

Amazon needs a Social Media Manager for NFL at Prime Video Sports [Culver City, CA or New York City, NY, USA]

More top social media jobs spotted this week 💼

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👌 PRO TIPS

Best time to post on social media: Q1 2025 update

The overall best time to post on social media in 2025 is 12 PM on Fridays. Dig in for recommendations for specific networks and industries.

More pro-tips worth checking out ✨

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📊 SOCIAL STATS

$24.2 BILLION

- How much TikTok contributed to US GDP in 2023… according to TikTok

Even more social stats: 📈

  • REDDIT USAGE: Users now spend 34 mins per day on the platform, up 3.5% YoY

  • BEASTLY REVENUE The two main divisions of MrBeast’s Beast Industries, Content and Commerce, each made about $250 million in revenue for 2024, an overall 125% increase from 2023

  • BIG SPENDERS: Influencer marketing spend will grow 15% YoY, outpacing digital and social ad spending, and will reach $10.52 billion in 2025

  • SCAMMED: The FTC says Americans lost $12.5 billion to scams last year, thanks in part to social media, AI, and crypto

  • BIG(ISH) IN JAPAN: BeReal’s CEO says Japan is now the photo sharing app's second-largest market with over 4.5 million MAUs

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📈 CHARTED

Wondering how your industry performs across Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and TikTok? 📊

Here are the latest engagement rate benchmarks for Jan 2025, via Hootsuite

Tap the chart to read my thread with breakdowns by industry 👇

More charted social insights spotted this week: 👀.

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💥 EVEN MORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS & UPDATES

Top YouTube Creators to Hold Their Own Upfront Event in Bid for TV Ad Dollars

MrBeast, Colin & Samir, Ryan Trahan and Dude Perfect are among the creators expected to unveil content slates at the first Spotter Showcase event later this month.

  • A UK bill preventing children from 'doom scrolling' has government backing, but with watered-down plans. [Sky News]

  • TikTok staffers are burned out and going on mental health leave to get a break. [Business Insider $$$]

  • US retailer Best Buy plans to launch digital storefronts for influencers and content creators. [Modern Retail]

  • Reddit’s ad revenue is growing fastest among social media platforms. [Business Insider $$$]

  • The FCC’s chair has questioned YouTube TV about alleged faith-based discrimination. [Deadline]

  • Rep. Jim Jordan has subpoenaed Google, demanding documents that show whether YouTube removed content at the request of the Biden-Harris administration. [The Verge]

  • Signal’s president has warned that agentic AI bots threaten user privacy. [Business Insider $$$]

New features and tests:

  • Facebook performance bonuses are now being merged into content monetisation. [@jonahmanzano]

  • Threads now shows you your Fediverse username in the Fediverse settings menu. [@theahmedghanem]

  • LinkedIn has a new splash screen for posts. [@oncescuradu]

  • Snapchat has added a new indicator to show Snapchat+ subscribers when a new feature has been introduced. [@theahmedghanem]

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📰 WEEKEND READS

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

“Content featuring people birthing animals and real shootings exposes the thin line between wholesome videos and dark ones.”

Dark and strange content is slipping through social media’s cracks

“More great weekend reads:

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😳 AND FINALLY…

It’s five years since the Covid pandemic began. It seems like so long ago…

So what went viral over lockdown? Let’s look back… ⏪

Remember these TikTok viral moments of 2020?

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📅 BACK NEXT WEEK…

That’s a wrap, folks!

You are now fully debriefed on everything new in social this week.

Social Media IQ: +10pts 🧠 ⬆️

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Right… I’m heading off to do some reading… I hear Zuckerberg is unhappy about a book? 😁

I want to better understand why Meta Comms Director Andy Stone is throwing such a hissy fit about it.

Have a great weekend, geeks!

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

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