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Hello, geeks!
Matt’s away sunning himself in a beautiful Greek resort right now, so this week’s Geekout is brought to you by me, Martin.
I work on this newsletter with Matt every week anyway, so I hope you’ll feel like you’re in good hands!
Apart from writing this, I’m mainly just laughing at the fact Matt left the UK for warmth and sunshine in the week we’ve had record-breaking temperatures and I feel like I’m melting as I write this.
He could have just stayed at home… it’s hotter here than Greece today 😱
What’s he missing? Well, this week…
Meta explored dipping its toe into gambling 😮
…and got sued for silencing the author of ‘Careless People’ 😬
…and had to pause its controversial employee tracking programme after the whole company got access to the data 🤦♂️
…and everyone in social media has either been in Cannes or wishing they were in Cannes while doing the REAL work back at the office-🔥
We’ve got all of that and LOADS more for you in today’s Geekout, so let’s get cracking, shall we? 👇
– Martin
Meta launches cheaper smart glasses from $299, including Kylie Jenner collab [LAUNCHING]
Meta pauses employee tracking programme after it accidentally let the whole company see sensitive data [PAUSING]
WhatsApp gets a new boss, Kunal Shah, as Will Cathcart shifts to a new role at Meta [CHANGING]
Facebook critic sues Meta over efforts to silence her book promo [FIGHTING]
Meta is placing a bet on prediction markets
We all know that Meta loves to copy successful ideas from elsewhere. Just ask Snap’s Evan Spiegel!
But is this an idea too far?
Prediction markets are trendy in the US, where they let users place real-money bets on the possibility of things happening in real life.
The World Cup winner, the Supergirl movie’s Rotten Tomatoes score, the likelihood of the US government confirming that aliens exist… These (and many more) are all things you can place a bet on right now on Kalshi, one of the leading US platforms in the space alongside Polymarket.
But now Meta wants to enter this market. The New York Times and NPR both reported details this week of ‘Arena’ a standalone app Meta is developing that will let users bet on real-world events.
Crucially, Arena, if it ever gets as far as launching to the public, will not let users bet real money. Instead, the app will give you ‘play money’ to bet for fun.
Given that prediction markets could be doing $1 trillion of trading volume by 2030, it’s understandable that Zuck wants a slice of the action.
What’s more, prediction markets are in a form of legal limbo, where it’s not 100% clear if they break gambling laws around the US or not. So by not using real money, Meta can hope to avoid the risks Kalshi and Polymarket are taking. And it can sell advertising against the service.
But that doesn’t mean Arena is not without risk.
According to documents seen by NPR, Meta plans to let AI govern the service, deciding whether an event happened or not. Given how unreliable AI can be, all it needs is a couple of high-profile mistakes and users might be put off bothering with it.
And then there’s the question of whether anyone will care about a service where they can’t make money. Surely that’s the whole appeal of prediction markets? And I’m not just talking about US military personnel who have used them to bet on missions they knew were going to happen.
If you can’t win money, why bother playing? To brag that you’re Nostradamus?
I’ll reserve judgment on whether Arena will take off, but the fact Meta is even working on a gambling app shows that there are few limits to what Zuck will copy to keep users engaged and the money tap flowing.
Meta
/ Facebook
Facebook’s Creator Activity section [Credit: Ahmed Ghanem]
Meta is reportedly being pressed to agree to AI reviews by the US government - it’s the only major holdout among big US AI companies
Meta is reportedly rushing to ramp up AI-powered moderation to cut costs
Fun fact: one of Meta’s new smart glasses models, the $399 Kylie Jenner model, can talk to you in Kylie’s voice
Meta has launched a charging stand for smart glasses
Meta’s Oversight Board has called on Meta to strengthen its protection for ordinary people targeted by sexualised deepfakes
Facebook is testing a new UI for the story composer
Facebook is testing a new alt text feature for Stories
Facebook now suggests music you could add to future Stories
Facebook has been running promos for the Forum app for Groups, even in areas it’s not available (yet)
Facebook has added a new Creator Activity section to the Professional Dashboard for Pages, helping creators track their activity, understand their growth, and build consistent posting habits
Facebook is testing a Messenger sticker that lets Page admins encourage users to hit their DMs
Messenger has updated the People tab with a redesigned layout
__________
Instagram
Instagram is updating its TV app [Credit: Instagram]
Instagram is exploring ways to bring longer-form videos, content spanning multiple episodes, and live creator experiences to its TV app
Instagram has been spotted offering the ability to comment on posts with a photo
Instagram has introduced visible milestones for new accounts unlock features like Trial Reels and Channels
Instagram is testing a redesigned effects editor interface
Instagram is displaying carousel posts with music in the Reels tab again
Instagram has been named and shamed for not offering passkey security for users
__________
Threads
/
WhatsApp
WhatsApp gives you pause for thought [Credit: WABetaInfo]
Threads now lets you add a specific match to World Cup posts
Threads is testing the ability to delete notifications with a swipe left
WhatsApp now pauses before you message unknown numbers
WhatsApp is rolling out channel update search on iOS
WhatsApp is rolling out mentions for text status updates
WhatsApp is testing a reintroduction of message animations on iOS, with a different style and a dedicated setting
WhatsApp is rolling out its Liquid Glass redesign to the chat interface on iOS
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TikTok
/
YouTube
YouTube’s new ‘clear screen’ option for Reels [Credit: YouTube]
TikTok has launched Custom Creator Networks, to turn brand-relevant videos into ads. Starbucks is piloting the product
TikTok has been spotted offering a new way to customise the messaging section of the app
TikTok will host the new run of Tinder’s Double Date Island content series, a shift from YouTube
YouTube has updated Shorts with a TikTok-style ‘clear screen’ option and easy 2x playback. It’s also ditching the ‘Dislike’ button
YouTube Studio now includes a consolidated list of video issues, a new estimated revenue display, and improvements to its report monitoring
YouTube has settled an early test case over social media harm to children
YouTube Playables games have been spotted in the EU for the first time
YouTube TV subscribers could get a compensation payout from Disney after it settled a claim it forced the service to increase its subscription price
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LinkedIn
/
Reddit
LinkedIn collab posts [Credit: LinkedIn]
LinkedIn is testing its own version of collab posts
LinkedIn is testing automated job applications for Premium subscribers
LinkedIn is testing suggested feeds based around specific topics
LinkedIn has been spotted offering an updated navigation menu
Reddit has launched new ad options, including free-form ads, Redditor highlights, and revised shopping formats
Linktree now lets you create a digital business card and link it to Apple Wallet and Google Wallet
Facebook has rebooted Creator Studio as an AI companion app to help creators grow an audience on the platform.
The app is currently being tested with select creators.
__________
Also spotted this week…
TikTok has announced new AI-powered features to assist with ad creation, including an agentic tool that can create entire video campaigns from text prompts
TikTok now lets you select ‘fast’ or ‘high quality’ video and image generation options
Instagram now lets more users ask Meta AI for a summary of any content on the platform
WhatsApp Business is testing support for connecting its AI agent with third-party apps, starting with Google Drive
YouTube has introduced new insights tools built with Gemini, to help creators understand what’s popular on the platform
LinkedIn now lets some users set core brand rules for AI-generated content
ByteDance has announced a new Seedance 2.5 AI video model, launching first in China next month
WeChat is testing an AI assistant, with the aim of the app becoming a concierge for its 1bn+ users
Hootsuite has received an AI overhaul, including the introduction of Wisdom, an agent to take action on live social signals
CapCut has launched an Ultra subscription tier at as much as $1,000 per year for access to the most advanced AI tools
In the social ban era, where will Gen Alpha spend time online?
Matt told Vogue Business:
“[The UK teen social ban] won’t kill youth influence online, but influence will [be] rerouted and harder to see… Under-16s won’t suddenly stop caring about beauty drops, sneaker launches or viral product hauls and all the things that are already shared in their DMs, but the path from trend to purchase will become less direct.”
“Older siblings, parents, private chats, gaming worlds, school culture, retail visits, creators … All of these things will see trends travel just as much, but without the original platform being visible”
__________
Also:
Matt helped The Tennessean make sense of the outrage economy, after influencer ‘Chud the Builder’ went from ragebaiting to being charged with attempted murder
__________
__________
DoorDash grabbed itself some attention this week when it appeared to confuse New Zealand footballer Tim Payne with king of Autotune T-Pain, in a post on X.
Unfortunately, the whole thing, including T-Pain’s reaction, was a massive set-up and undisclosed paid partnership.
Booo!
__________
More brand news and views:
Gymshark has been sued, accused of telling creators not to disclose ads
Former Disney boss Bob Iger has confirmed the company wanted to buy Twitter “at a very attractive price” (before Elon Musk snapped it up) but eventually decided it would be a “horrible distraction”
MrBeast has hired a big chunk of the team from creator economy startup Pietra, supposedly to work on a brand matchmaking hub
Brands are quietly deploying AI-generated influencers to promote products on social media, according to a new study
Lowe’s wants creators to put their next products on its shelves via a new creator programme
"[They’re] kissing my ass… You would not believe the texts I got from these tech guys. I've got to show you”
__________
Also quoted this week:
“Why are we so mean to one another? Why are we so tribal today? The goal on our show is not to be tribal. We are inclusive for everyone… I’ve said this to several of our pros and celebrities, ‘You know, it’s just noise. It’s not real unless you read it. Don’t let it have an impact. You don’t have to allow it in.’”
- ‘Dancing with the Stars’ host Alfonso Ribeiro on social media trolls
__________
“[AI chatbots]… are not your friends… are not conscious beings… are not sentient interlocutors”
- Signal president Meredith Whittaker is not keen on the growth of AI companions
This clever device goes beyond the screen-time limits you can set on your phone.
And TechCrunch’s Amanda Silberling found that it works…
“The gadget is a branded, NFC-enabled square that only lets you deactivate your custom screen-time limits if you tap your phone to the Brick, just like you’re buying something at a tap-to-pay kiosk.
“Apparently, if I have to physically get up and tap my phone to the Brick to go on Instagram, I will not go on Instagram.”
Posting videos without disclosure is one thing. This is something very different…
“An investigation by The Wall Street Journal has found that the company is paying social media creators to post misleading content promoting the prediction market.
“Of the 1,105 TikTok videos the publication reviewed, 778 appeared to show someone placing a bet — but a closer look reportedly revealed that none of the latter featured the actual Polymarket website, instead using dummy sites made to look like the real thing.”
In other words, they were faking wins on prediction markets. And this is the bear pit Mark Zuckerberg wants to get into….
This doesn’t bode well for the UK, and other countries planning to copy Australia’s social media ban…
“More than 80% of under-16s in Australia said they were still using social media three months after legislation banning them from it came into force, research shows.”
Stripe is hiring a Creative Director, Copy & Campaigns [Remote, US]
__________
More social media jobs:
Paperlike is looking for a Social Media Manager [Remote, worldwide]
Lloyds Banking Group needs a Social & Digital Assistant Marketing Manager [Bristol, UK]
Basketball England is recruiting a Digital Content & Social Media Manager [Manchester, UK]
Need some help choosing between organic and paid social? This guide from Hootsuite has you covered.
__________
Also this week:
How to create a social media marketing strategy in 2026 — a seven-step guide from Buffer
Meta has outlined best practices for AI-generated multimedia ads
How to check if you’re blocked on WhatsApp… using encryption
$1.02 BILLION
__________
More social stats:
__________
Also spotted this week…
UK ministers have discussed making YouTube and Meta boost the prominence of UK news (with a new Prime Minister on the way, this could change). [Financial Times $$$]
Telegram founder Pavel Durov accused Meta of sabotaging the app’s access in India (providing no evidence) [The Register]
Australia is planning legal action against platforms it says are violating its teen social ban. [TNW]
The EU is set to ramp up its probe into alleged ‘addictive design’ at Meta [Bloomberg $$$]
Meta has poached staff from AI security staff Virtue AI. [Axios]
Meta has struck new AI computing deals with data centre company Crusoe. [Bloomberg $$$]
Meta is the first customer for Qualcomm’s new Dragonfly data centre chips. [TNW]
A US court has ruled that Ohio can restrict children’s use of social media. [TNW]
Canva says it doesn’t see a threat from ChatGPT and Claude. [The Information $$$]
TikTok has partnered with fitness app Strava on a pan-European Local Movement Fund. [Social Media Today]
Bumble could sell itself amid a slump in the dating app market. [Reuters $$$]
Meta has expanded its Small Business Growth Academy to the APAC region. [Meta Newsroom]
Adobe has acquired Topaz Labs and will integrate the startup’s AI tech into Creative Cloud. [TechCrunch]
New features and tests:
Facebook has added a shortcut to Meta AI in the main app menu. [@oncescuradu]
Facebook is testing a new ‘Share to relevant Groups’ setting for Reels. [@oncescuradu]
Meta has introduced integrated booking for lead ads. [Social Media Today]
“There's a hidden corner of TikTok the algorithm won't show you, full of weird, creepy and downright disturbing videos. Is it a myth – or a preview of the internet's future?”
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Also worth a read:
“The 6 trends dominating my conversations at Cannes”
Instagram wants to monopolise your attention
Cannes Lions feels more Hollywood than the Film Festival this year
How WhatsApp's billion-dollar India business influenced Meta's bet on Kunal Shah
The UK’s social media ban for under-16s has just empowered big tech
Interview: Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s new film shines a light on the human cost of unregulated social media
Snap’s new Specs are apparently just as heavy and dorky as they look.
Here’s a report from one for the first journalists to give them a go… (And yeah, that’s a dorky look).
Matt will be back next week, but who will have the better tan? Him, or me who stayed in the UK? 😀
Climate change is no joke, but it does make me rethink the traditional holiday in the sun…
Okay, I’m off to recharge my portable fan and look forward to some rain…
Goodbye, geeks!
– Martin
