Hello, geeks!

Welcome to a refreshed and slicker looking edition of Geekout.

Before we get started… This FREE AI meme faceswap tool will kill your productivity today (but its freakishly good) 💀 

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No, you’re not imagining it. Geekout looks a little different this week. It’s had a mini design refresh.

The goal was to make Geekout easier to skim read, and… well… a little slicker

Things I hope you’ll notice… 

• Improved text spacing

• Clearer section breaks

• Colour and typeface changes

• More images

…. Plus a handful of other design tweaks. 

I’d love your feedback. Reply to this email to tell me what you love, like… or hate! ❤️

ICYMI… Live on Bloomberg 🔴

Bloomberg invited me to join a live chat to discuss ‘A year of Elon’s Twitter”

I didn’t hold back when giving my views on Elmo and the X dumpster fire.

I think you’ll enjoy watching it | 📺 Watch on YouTube

DON’T MISS THIS… 1,500+ social media managers signed up for this FREE webinar last year. So I’m doing it again for 2024 👇

THE BIG SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS 2024 WEBINAR

I've teamed up with Emplifi to create a FREE webinar for social media pros just like you.

The Social Media Trends 2024 Webinar will review the most talked about changes in social in 2023… And reveal my predictions for social in 2024.

Join us and tune in for…

• Year in review: How social shifted in 2023 ⏪

• My social media trend predictions for 2024 🔮

• Live Q&A… Ask me anything! 🎙️

WIN a Geekout PRO subscription! 🎟️

Fancy winning a 1-year subscription to Geekout PRO? Just request an invite to be entered into the prize draw.

Invites are limited (1,500+ registered last time!) [ad]

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🔥 GEEKOUT HOT 5

The hottest news of the week:

1. Meta Launched Ad-Free Subscriptions in the EU [PRIVACY FEE]

2. X Launched New Ad-Free X Premium Plan Options [XPENSIVE]

3. Twitter Now Worth Less Than Half What Musk Paid For It 1 Year Ago [NOSEDIVE]

4. YouTube Puts Limits on Repetitive Recommendations To Protect Teens [WELLBEING]

5. TikTok Denied Platform Is Pushing Pro-Palestine Content [CONFLICTING]

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💰 ADVERTISE IN GEEKOUT

• Geekout has 28,000+ subscribers.

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

• Geekout has an industry-beating open rate of 51% and a 20% click rate!

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🚨 EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT…

It’s official: people in much of Europe (the EU, the European Economic Area, and Switzerland,) will be able to buy ad-free subscriptions for Facebook and Instagram from later this month.

Let’s be clear: Meta absolutely does not want to do this, but recent rulings that the company is targeting users in most of Europe illegally mean this is a workaround the company hoped would allow it to continue targeting everyone who didn’t pay.

The solution also included Meta pausing ads for users under 18.

…but then news broke that Meta is being forced to stop using targeted advertising in the EU entirely!

A ban is expected to be imposed within two weeks, but given that a previous court ruling said a subscription offering was an acceptable solution for everyone, it seems this ban is yet more back-and-forth legal wrangling.

I suspect most users don’t actually care that much, and they just want to use Facebook and Instagram like they always have. But it’s sensible for everyone to have the option to control how their data is used.

It would be better for all if getting to that point didn’t involve seemingly endless court battles, but hey.

Meanwhile, paying for no ads is gradually creeping towards becoming a social media norm.

News recently broke that TikTok is testing its own subscription, and X this week rolled out a more expensive Premium tier that gets rid of ads in the For You and Following feeds.

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✨ NEW & NOTEWORTHY

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

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😆 LOL

Social media manager achievement unlocked 🏆

Also:

• YouTube comments with Community Notes

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📈 VIRAL MEME

He might be a convicted fraudster, but at least he looks amazing. A ‘courtroom sketch’ of crypto criminal Sam Bankman-Fried went viral this week.

It turned out to be made with generative A.I., but at least it gave us more of a laugh than he’ll be having in prison.

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🪧 BRANDS

Here’s proof that posting literally anything on social media can get you into hot water:

Marks & Spencer pulled a clip of its Christmas ad yesterday after a small but vocal bunch of people thought a shot of some burning paper hats was somehow a comment on the Israel-Hamas war (the ad was made months ago).

Cheer up from that mess by checking out Digital Brand Bites, a newsletter I enjoy reading. This week it highlighted some classic Halloween brand content, like this:

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💬 YOU CAN QUOTE ME ON THAT

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

I spoke to the Telegraph about how WhatsApp took over the world – and British politics. Is it right that government minister use disappearing messages to conduct government business?

• The Drum asked me for my take on X’s revenue crisis

• I spoke to EuroNews about a year of Musk at X

• I joined the Evening Standard’s podcast to speculate on what’s next for X

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👀 MY FAV READS

This is a good look at how social algorithms could be used to bring people together, rather than drive them apart:

And…

• ‘If Gemma Collins is a diva she gets blocked’: the secrets of TV stars’ WhatsApp groups

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😮 WHAT DID YOU SAY?!

Will Elon listen to the master of horror? Probably not, but maybe he should…

• Don’t lose hope for a ‘The Social Network’ movie sequel just yet

• Can Threads overtake X? Adam Mosseri says it has a good chance

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🐾 TRACKING…

Here’s one to keep an eye on:

Social shopping app Flip is growing fast, but mainly thanks to costly referrals. Will they pay off?

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📲 NEW APP

Lapse is the latest 'hot new social app'... allegedly.

This one is a bit like Dispo. Can any of these novelty apps break through without getting cloned out of existence by Instagram and TikTok?

One way Lapse is growing is by requiring new users to send five invites before they can start posting 🤮

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😮 WTF?!

Sexual wellness brand Unbound claims that Meta is discriminatory in its ad policies… even when it comes to sex toys. 😬

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🤦 FAIL

Imagine being a high-powered media executive AND being this petty:

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🪦 RIP

Social media features heading for the grave:

It had so much potential but never quite lived up to it. So long, Circles….

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🛠️ TOP TOOLS

Hootsuite’s blog posts some really useful stuff all year round.

Here’s a handy guide to keep you organised as we speed towards 2024:

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😎 API DAYS

Happy, API… it’s a good pun!

There have been some really useful social API updates this week:

Firstly, Instagram is rolling out a Reels API update bringing more features to third party publishing platforms, like support for Collaboration Posts, expansion of Organic Reels insights, and early copyright detection.

Also:

• Instagram now lets advertisers to create and promote posts with Product Tags via third party platforms

• Facebook now lets creators to create and share Stories directly from third-party apps or tools

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🤖 SOCIAL A.I.

All the ways A.I. is transforming social media:

Instagram is working on the ability to make your own AI friend

• Meta is working on A.I.-generated captions and thumbnails for Reels

• LinkedIn has launched a new A.I. chatbot to help you get a job

• WhatsApp is working on using A.I. to answer support queries

• TikTok is testing using AI to identify products in videos that it can sell via its Shop feature.

• YouTube is apparently working on its own A.I. assistant bot

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📊 SOCIAL STATS

• X’s value dropped nearly $70 million per day since Musk’s buyout

• TikTok users sent over $250 million in digital gifts to live-streamers in the app in Q3 alone

• Linda Yaccarino has some upbeat (but questionable) stats about X usage

• TikTok reveals user numbers across the EU

• …as does LinkedIn (it’s an EU thing)

• Gen Z and millennials are shopping for ‘dupes’ the most

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📈 CHARTED

The hidden rise of Pinterest:

• Should parents control teens’ social media use?

• Making sense of pro-Palestine content on TikTok

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• Meta has expanded Verified to Canada. [Meta Newsroom]

• Instagram has removed an account that unmasked ‘Jew Haters’. [404 Media]

• A former Instagram employee is set to tell Congress about how Meta allegedly wasn’t protecting teens. [Wall Street Journal $$$]

• Meta’s Oversight Board suggests dangerous diet videos should be demonetised on the company’s platforms. [Engadget]

• Meta is investigating complaints about tracking on Quest 3 controllers. [The Verge]

• Keep an eye on the brewing battle between Meta and OpenAI. [Big Technology]

• Using Meta’s free AI software can cost twice as much as OpenAI’s software. [The Information $$$]

Insights to give you an edge at work:

• What’s the perfect number of hashtags on Instagram Reels? [Hootsuite blog]

New features and tests:

Facebook:

• Facebook Live has added a ‘Notify subscribers on Messenger’ option. [@jonahmanzano]

• Facebook now lets Page admins sort comments by those that were sent with Stars. [@theahmedghanem]

Instagram:

• Instagram now lets you add reactions to Notes. [@thepaulthomson]

• Instagram has been spotted offering an edit button for messages, with a 15-minute window. [@theahmedghanem]

• Instagram is rolling out the ability to add song lyrics to Reels. [The Verge]

• Instagram has added a feature called Collaborators in the broadcast channel section. [@jonahmanzano]

• Instagram now lets some users toggle message read receipts on and off. [@jonahmanzano]

• Instagram now lets you allow people to boost Stories they mention you in. [@jonahmanzano]

• Instagram has been spotted testing new font styles when creating Reels. [@BusMark_w_Nika]

• Instagram is working on a 'Meme it' feature. [@alex193a]

• Instagram is still working on live games. A "Close Up" game has been spotted in text. [@alex193a]

• Instagram is testing collaborative carousels your friends can add to. [Social Media Today]

• Instagram has been spotted offering settings for a ‘group profiles’ feature. [@jonahmanzano]

Threads:

• Threads is working on an option to opt-out of your posts showing in other Meta apps. [@alex193a]

• Threads has added alt text editing on desktop, and other desktop feature tweaks. [@mosseri]

WhatsApp:

• WhatsApp is rolling out message editing for Channels. [Android Police]

• WhatsApp has started working on a new alternate profiles feature. [Android Police]

• WhatsApp is testing a ‘double-tap to skip 10 seconds’ feature. [Android Police]

• WhatsApp is testing settings to pin and archive community group chats. [@saadhjawwadh]

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

• Meta has launched a new Achievements hub to help creators track rewards and earn increased reach. [Meta Newsroom]

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• X has been running a ‘timeline takeover’ ad for a controversial anti-trans film. [TechCrunch]

• Linda Yaccarino reportedly intervened to get an antisemitic, pro-Hitler post by a Pakistani politician removed. [The Information $$$]

• Elon Musk has asked a court to reject SEC's bid to make him testify in their probe into his Twitter acquisition. [Reuters $$$]

• The use of Twitter for news has remained remarkably stable in the last decade, despite all the platform’s changes. [Reuters Institute]

• A researcher critical of X under Elon Musk will fight for his account in court. [TechCrunch]

New features and tests:

• X has expanded third-party ID verification to UK users. [Social Media Today]

• X has added new app icon options. [@jonahmanzano]

• X could introduce disappearing DMs. [@nima_owji]

• X is working on the ability to pin hashtags in Communities. [@chris]

• X might bring back GIF profile pics. [Social Media Today]

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• …but there could be reasons why it might look that way. [Semafor]

• …and TikTok has pushed back strongly against the accusations. [Reuters $$$]

• TikTok staff are worried about job cuts as managers are pushed to give more workers low scores in performance reviews. [Wall Street Journal $$$]

• The Chinese government reportedly inspected ByteDance’s internal communications. [Forbes $$$]

Insights to give you an edge at work:

• TikTok has shared tips to help marketers maximise their ‘Q5’ sales initiatives. [Social Media Today]

• TikTok has published a 29-page guide for fashion marketers. [Social Media Today]

New features and tests:

• TikTok is rolling out its 'write a review' feature to more users. [@theahmedghanem]

• TikTok has announced a new integration that lets advertisers easily transfer generated leads directly to Salesforce. [Social Media Today]

• TikTok now lets users choose whether or not others can use their edits as templates. [@theahmedghanem]

• TikTok is testing ‘Manage Post Visibility’, which allows you to update the visibility for up to 50 posts at once. [@jonahmanzano]

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💥 EVEN MORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS & UPDATES…

• TikTok, Snapchat and others have signed a pledge to tackle A.I.-generated child sex abuse images. [Reuters $$$]

• Canada has banned WeChat on government devices. [Reuters $$$]

• WeChat and Douyin now require real names in China, following a change in the country’s law. [Bloomberg $$$]

• YouTube is monetising human suffering at an open air drug market. [404 Media]

• YouTube will now limit some video recommendations to protect teen users. [The Verge]

• Some banned Twitch streamers can now apply to be reinstated. [Polygon]

• Twitch is ‘ending support’ for its Nintendo Switch app. [The Verge]

Insights to give you an edge at work:

• Google Chrome is making it easier to save a frame from a YouTube video. [Android Police]

• Reddit has shared an overview of key events to plan for in 2024. [Social Media Today]

New features and tests:

• YouTube has a new Subscribe button animation. [@chris]

• YouTube is rolling out a ‘Stable Volume’ option. [@saadhjawwadh]

• Snapchat now lets you choose to keep snaps for 24 hours after they are viewed. [@jonahmanzano]

• Mastodon’s official app has added a lists feature on Android. [The Verge]

• Telegram has made replies more customisable, among other updates. [Android Police]

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📖 Weekend reading

• Greenville was quiet. Then a hometown kid became YouTube’s biggest star

• Meet the blue-collar social influencers

• Why Elon Musk is obsessed with casting Twitter/X as the most “authentic” social media platform

• The demise of Twitter Circles left a void that Instagram Close Friends can’t fill

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😳 …AND FINALLY

Is YOUR gran… a secret ‘granfluencer’?

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📅 BACK NEXT WEEK…

… And that’s pretty much EVERYTHING you need to know this. ✅

I hope you liked the Geekout Newsletter design changes I’ve made.

Hit reply and tell me what you think!

Right… I’m heading off to try figure out why Facebook thinks i’m posting dick pics!?! 😳

Goodbye geeks!

p.s. This newsletter is edited by Martin SFP Bryant.