the internet picked a new name for Facebook

October 22, 2021

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Hello, Geeks!

First off this week… Creating a logo for Facebook’s new name is going to be tricky.

🔥 GEEKOUT HOT 5

  1. That Facebook name change [LINK]

  2. Instagram launched co-authored posts called ‘Collabs’ [LINK]

  3. TikTok launched a power-list of its top platform influencers [LINK]

  4. Twitter acquired a little-known messaging app called Sphere [LINK]

  5. Pinterest launched a TikTok-style ‘Watch’ feed + new features for creators [LINK]

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Spotted on my travels around the social web this week…

Instagram made social media managers cry tears of joy with this update... Twitter was spotted working on a new ‘Account delegation’ feature... Trump announced plans for his new social network. Pranksters defaced it within hours...

Instagram finally rolled out scrubbing features for feed videos... Twitter may add pinned conversations and longer video uploads (up to 10 mins) to Twitter Blue’s subscription perks… Instagram users panic after getting this unexpected warning... And finally, Facebook lost its s**t on Twitter and rage tweeted.

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190+ slides FULL of NEW social media stats + insights

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ALSO WORTH A LOOK… 

🎙 HARDWARE: The best podcast mics money can buy right now [LINK]

👀 WATCH: TikTok’s fun & highly relatable new ad [LINK]

🚩 ACCESSIBILITY: Why you shouldn’t go emoji-crazy in your tweets [LINK]

🛠 CREATORS: Google has a new Google for Creators resource portal [LINK]

✨ TOOL: Automagically remove objects & defects from any image [LINK]

Okay… Time to jump into the biggest stories stressing out big tech co’s PR teams this week 👇

— Matt

P.S. Join me later for your weekly Geekout Debrief on Twitter Spaces at 4PM (UK) today (Fri 22 Oct)

We will discuss all the week’s BIG social media hot topics, breaking news, new features, and more. [Get a Reminder]

🚨 Everyone's talking about...

Could this be the final week that Geekout has a 'Facebook news' section? It seems so. The Verge's scoop that the company is planning a rebrand as soon as next week has stirred up plenty of banter.

Of course, many people had amusing suggestions for the name the company should pick. Even a rival got involved. Smarter money pointed to suggestions like Meta, but incredibly, Platformer reported that Mark Zuckerberg hadn't even chosen a name by the middle of this week, even though it could be revealed as soon as Monday, when Facebook announces its quarterly financials.

While the company's big new focus on the metaverse (it announced a plan for 10,000 metaverse development jobs in the EU this week) is supposedly the reason for the rebrand, I think we all know the real motivation for doing it now.

The Wall Street Journal's recent Facebook Files series really shook the company's confidence, as demonstrated by how it told us all this week to expect more revelations from a big team of journalists soon, in a way that looked flustered to say the least.

With that new reporting expected to drop from Monday, a critical report from its own Oversight Board fresh out of the gate, and research showing that Facebook has been mentioned in more American online stories in the past year than all of its major tech rivals combined, you can see why Facebook is rushing to change its name and hopefully turn a new page.

But perhaps it would have been wiser to fix its problems before a name change? Either way, I feel sorry for the graphic designers who have to rush a new corporate brand identity into existence as soon as Zuck makes up his mind what the company he founded should now be called.

If a Facebook rebrand was the surprise news of the week, the revelation that PayPal wants to acquire Pinterest in a $39bn deal was a close second.

The news baffled many, but really it's an endorsement of the importance of social shopping to the future of retail. Buying Pinterest would give PayPal a foot firmly in that world, even if the social recommendation and inspiration platform is still more of an advertising business for now.

As Protocol reported, the deal will help PayPal challenge Shopify, which has quickly established itself as the social shopping engine of choice for many platforms (listen to our recent interview with Shopify's Shimona Mehta for more on that).

On top of this, PayPal's CEO has said he wants to offer a Chinese-style 'super app' that becomes a destination for consumers to do everything. There's a serious question over whether that will work in the West, but if you wanted to try, buying Pinterest wouldn't be a bad move.

Facebook famously keeps unflattering research about itself quiet, but Twitter has been showing another way of late. After recently sharing how biased its facial recognition can be, it has now revealed findings that show how it algorithm amplifies right-wing content more than left-leaning content.

As Protocol reports:

The research did not identify whether or not the algorithms that run Twitter's Home feed are actually biased toward conservative political content, because the conclusions only show bias in amplification, not what caused it. Rumman Chowdhury, the head of Twitter's machine learning, ethics, transparency and accountability team, called it "the what, not the why" in an interview with Protocol.

"We can see that it is happening. We are not entirely sure why it is happening. To be clear, some of it could be user-driven, people's actions on the platform, we are not sure what it is. It's just important that we share this information," Chowdhury said.

The researchers now plan to look into why this is happening.

Twitter has received a lot of justifiable criticism for its amplification of divisive, hard-line views like those of Donald Trump over the years. But by being transparent about its investigations into the issue, rather than treating it as a PR problem to be hushed away, the company could help build up user trust and avoid its own 'Facebook Files'-style scandals in the future.

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🔵 Facebook news

All the latest from Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp:

Facebook's Novi wallet is ready to launch (in the US and Guatemala) at last, although the details have changed a *lot* since it was announced a couple of years ago. Politicians in the US already want it stopped.

  • Mark Zuckerberg has been added to a privacy lawsuit against Facebook, which could expose him to personal penalties. [New York Times $$$]

  • And Zuckerberg has been asked to testify before Congress on Instagram's impact on kids. [CNBC]

  • Facebook struggles to work out how many users it has, leaked documents reveal. [Wall Street Journal $$$]

  • Facebook has unveiled tougher rules for Groups. [The Verge]

  • Facebook Marketplace is a hotbed of scams, according to a new investigation. [ProPublica]

  • Facebook has been fined £50.5m for failing to share information as part of the UK investigation into its Giphy acquisition. [The Guardian]

  • Facebook has removed the 'Hey Facebook' command on Portal after it confused customers. [The Information $$$]

  • Facebook has disputed a report that its A.I. isn't very successful at enforcing the company's rules. [The Verge]

  • Facebook has agreed to pay French newspapers for content. [The Guardian]

  • More details have emerged of Instagram's efforts to increase its teenage userbase. [New York Times $$$]

  • Instagram got caught running an ad for fake Covid-19 vaccine certificates in Australia. [The Guardian]

  • Facebook referral traffic to news publishers has remained mostly flat despite changes to the News Feed algorithm. [Axios]

  • Facebook's new Portal+ and Portal Go have started shipping. [@boztank]

  • Facebook continues to adapt to Apple's privacy changes since iOS 14.5. [Adweek $$$]

New features and tests:

Facebook:

  • Facebook has announced new tools for small businesses. [Social Media Today]

  • Facebook has been spotted offering cross-posting to Instagram. [@ahmedghanem]

  • Facebook has been testing a 'quick access' search feature for your four most used tabs or services. [@oncescuradu]

  • Facebook is showing election information again in the US, ahead of votes next month. [@fbnewsroom]

  • Facebook is experimenting with new features for its News tab. [Axios]

  • Facebook could soon let you comment with a 10-second audio clip. [@alex193a]

  • Facebook has redesigned the settings control page for Groups. Admins can also edit the list of admin settings shortcuts. [@MattNavarra]

  • Facebook has renamed its Commerce and IP Rights Tool to be called Brand Rights Protection. It's added the ability to search and report Instagram accounts and posts. [Adweek $$$]

  • Facebook is working on new parental controls for Portal. [The Verge]

  • Facebook Gaming now offers more than 45 games. [Adweek $$$]

Instagram:

  • Instagram is adding support for ‘Collabs’ and desktop posting, plus new music features for Reels. [TechCrunch]

  • Instagram is rolling out new analytics for brands and creators. [Social Media Today]

  • Instagram could soon let you set custom text for Link stickers. [@alex193a]

  • Instagram is testing a fundraising posts option. [@alexvoica]

  • Instagram Stories videos could soon run up to 60 seconds in length. [@alex193a]

  • Instagram now offers video scrubbing. [@MattNavarra]

  • Instagram is testing the ability to place orders to businesses. [@ahmedghanem]

  • Instagram is working on automatic translation of messages. [@alex193a]

  • Instagram is testing a 'Record After' option for Reels remixes. [@Hammod_Oh]

  • Instagram could soon let you add a link to your Facebook profile to your bio, in addition to a custom link. [@alex193a]

  • Instagram is still developing its 'Collectibles' NFT feature. [@alex193a]

  • Instagram is working on a "Create avatar" option for profiles. [@alex193a]

  • Instagram is still developing undo and redo features in the Story editor. [@alex193a]

  • Instagram is building a link to open the Facebook app. [@alex193a]

  • And Instagram could soon offer a shortcut from profiles to the Business Suite. [@alex193a]

  • Instagram is working on Story navigation buttons as an accessibility feature. [@alex193a]

  • Instagram now lets you add a homescreen shortcut to one of your own accounts. [@pururajdutta]

  • Instagram may soon show a reminder to be respectful when sending messages. [@alex193a]

  • Instagram is building a bar that shows currently active users. [@alex193a]

  • Instagram is still refining a 'Music Release' feature. [@alex193a]

Messenger:

WhatsApp:

  • WhatsApp has introduced a shopping-focused 'Collections' feature. [TechCrunch]

  • WhatsApp is working on a way to manage message reactions. [WABetaInfo]

  • WhatsApp now lets you easily join ongoing calls from group chats. [@WhatsApp]

  • WhatsApp is testing a redesign for picture-in-picture mode. [Android Police]

🐣 Twitter news

Twitter has acquired Sphere, a group chat app co-created by Nick D’Aloisio, who previously founded news summary app Summly, which he sold to Yahoo at the age of 17.

  • Twitter paused its 'intense conversations' warning test because users didn't like it. [@KurtWagner8]

  • Twitter's head of trust and safety, Del Harvey, is leaving after 13 years at the company. [Protocol]

  • You can now play Doom via Twitter. [Eurogamer]

Insights to give you an edge at work:

  • Planning a Twitter campaign for Christmas? The company has some data to share. [Social Media Today]

  • Which TV shows are big on Twitter? A new partnership between Variety and the platform will tell you. [Variety]

New features and tests:

  • Twitter is working on an 'account delegation' feature. [@wongmjane]

  • All Twitter users can now create Spaces. [@TwitterSpaces]

  • Twitter Blue subscribers now have seasonal app icons. [@SwiftChaser]

  • Twitter Blue could soon have a new logo. [@alex193a]

  • Twitter's 'downvote' for comments could soon be tested on the web. [@wongmjane]

  • Twitter is testing emoji reactions in Turkey again. [@MattNavarra]

  • Twitter Spaces recordings will expire after 30 days, it seems. [@alex193a]

  • Twitter now shows when your mentions come from a Community. [@HiCommunities]

  • Twitter is working on explaining how to manage how followers see your Spaces listening activity. [@alex193a]

  • Twitter could soon show you a 'Follow Back' action on the profiles of followers who aren't mutuals yet. [@alex193a]

  • Twitter could make 'pinned conversations' and 'upload longer videos' experimental features for Blu subscribers to try. [@wongmjane]

  • Twitter has confirmed it's working on Android support, self-service editing for admins, timeline ranking and more for Communities. [@regandc]

  • Twitter is adding a Nuzzel-like 'top articles shared in your network' to Blue, alongside Scroll-style ad-free articles functionality. [@nima_owji]

  • Twitter has shared a concept idea for more options for admins and mods for how people can join their community. [@HiCommunities]

  • Twitter is building an splash screen for its Safety Mode feature. [@wongmjane]

🔺 TikTok news

TikTok has a new microsite to shine a fresh light on its top creators.

  • TikTok has a new TV ad in the US, featuring Martha Stewart. [iSpot.tv]

Insights to give you an edge at work:

  • TikTok creators with mid-level reach might be the most effective for brand partnerships, according to a new report. [Digiday $$$]

  • Interested in how social platforms drive purchase decisions? TikTok has some insights for you. [Social Media Today]

  • Why do people use TikTok? The company has shared some insights. [Social Media Today]

New features and tests:

  • TikTok now lets you select the account you want to run ads from. [@herrmanndigital]

💥 More social media news and updates

Donald Trump has unveiled his own social network (not just a blog this time), although it appears to be a version of Mastodon that breaks Mastodon's rules, and pranksters have already vandalised it.

  • Snap has blamed Apple's privacy changes for slowing the growth of its ad business. [Wall Street Journal $$$]

  • But Snapchat added 13m users in Q3. [Social Media Today]

  • The UK Online Harms Bill will be debated in Parliament before Christmas, Boris Johnson has said. [The Guardian]

  • YouTubers have been targeted by a phishing campaign promising collabs. [Protocol]

  • YouTube, TikTok, and Snap will have to testify to Congress over child safety next month. [Forbes $$$]

  • The EU's big tech regulation plans have been delayed further into 2022. [Bloomberg $$$]

  • YouTube has provided an overview of its future plans for Shorts. [Social Media Today]

  • YouTube has surpassed $3bn in consumer spend on iOS. [App Annie]

  • YouTube has been sued for allegedly not taking enough action against animal abuse videos. [New York Times $$$]

  • A fake YouTube stream of Monday's Apple event turned out to be a crypto scam. [9to5Mac]

  • MrBeast leads the nominations for the 2021 YouTube Streamy awards. [Variety]

  • Snap has announced plans for a set of family safety tools for Snapchat. [TechCrunch]

  • Snapchat has launched a new AR content studio. [Social Media Today]

  • Reddit has teamed up with Adobe for a live Photoshop competition, the platform's first live show. [Engadget]

  • Pinterest has announced a $20m 'Creators Rewards' fund. [AdAge]

  • Telegram has now been downloaded more than a billion times on the Play Store. [9to5Google]

  • The acclaimed 'Block Party' online safety tool is now out of beta and available to all. [The Verge]

  • Covid-19 memes have helped us get through the pandemic, a study has found. [NPR]

Insights to give you an edge at work:

  • What's hot on Reddit? The company's latest Reddit Radar lets you know. [Social Media Today]

New features and tests:

  • YouTube is to run a week of live shopping events, following recent tests. [TechCrunch]

  • YouTube auto-chapters will soon show up in searches on mobile, and Mentions are now available to all accounts with 500+ subscribers. [Social Media Today]

  • Snap and Google have partnered to let Pixel 6 users easily post to Snapchat from the lock screen. [Social Media Today]

  • LinkedIn now offers 'hybrid' as an option for free job listings. [@pollingersocial]

  • Reddit has revealed new analytics features and new video editing tools for its iOS and Android apps. [Reddit]

  • Reddit has brought back view counts in post insights. [Adweek $$$]

  • Twitch is testing a rewind button for live streams. [The Verge]

  • Pinterest has revealed a TikTok-style redesign. [Engadget]

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🐥 Tweet of the week

📖 Weekend reading

"For blind and visually-impaired people that use screen readers and voiceover technology, the red flag meme doesn’t make sense."

📅 Back next week...

...And that’s another week of Geeking out. Done!

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Right...Time for me to go wind up my daughter.

She is begging me to get her a new phone.

Goodbye geeks!

— Matt

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This newsletter is edited by Martin SFP Bryant.

Copyright 2021: Matt Navarra Media Ltd

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