Hello, geeks!

Welcome to your weekly ‘unhinged’ debriefing of everything new in social.

To kick us off this week… Social media managers are going WILD for this new FREE app. Have you tried it yet? 🔥

Being ‘unhinged’ on Threads has been the go-to strategy on the platform for brands since it launched. So I asked my followers which brand has the most ‘unhinged’ social media manager on Threads. Check out the suggestions in the comments…

Lots of great accounts got signposted. And a few brands joined the conversation.

Dear Meta. I f**king hate you right now…

It’s not just you… Meta’s latest spam problem put social media managers in full rage mode this week 🤬. Spammers targeted Page admins with fake Facebook content warnings that threatened account suspension.

As usual, Meta seemingly has done nothing to resolve this latest spam tactic.  Fortunately, several people shared this fix that seems to prevent spammers hitting your inbox with more of this crap (for now). 

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🔥 GEEKOUT HOT 5

Geekout with our hottest picks of the week:

1. Zuckerberg Says Meta is Spending Billions To Build Artificial General Intelligence [INVESTING]

2. Mr Beast Backtracks On X Video Snub But Faces Backlash [U-TURNING] 

3. Unredacted Docs Revealed Meta’s Reluctance To Protect Kids On Its Platforms [RESISTING]

4. TikTok Quietly Launched 4 Generative AI Apps Powered By Open AI [TESTING]

5. Sheryl Sandberg Is Stepping Down From Meta Board [EXITING]

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• Geekout has 28,000+ subscribers.

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

• Geekout has an industry-beating open rate of 54% and a 14% click rate!

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🚨 EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT…

While Meta builds AGI, it has a chance to be the ‘Apple for the masses’ in the headset world

Remember when Mark Zuckerberg built an A.I. assistant to run his home? I wonder if it’s still running, eight years later.

That sprang to mind this week because Zuckerberg has announced Meta’s new goal is to build artificial general intelligence (AGI).

He’s undecided on whether that means human-level A.I. or superhuman level, but either way, it’s a strong message to send the stock market as Meta edges close to becoming a trillion-dollar company for the first time in three years.

Let’s face it, everyone with enough money in Silicon Valley is trying to build AGI, so Meta almost has to.

One interesting point in The Verge’s interview with Zuck:

Might social media managers have to pivot to overseeing brand A.I.s in a few years’ time?

But Zuckerberg is keen to make clear that this isn’t a pivot from the metaverse - the company is still investing heavily in headsets, glasses, and all the software that goes with them.

And while the metaverse has been widely mocked in recent years, Meta might manage to change a few minds if Apple’s Vision Pro, launching in the US next month, proves to be a hit. At over $3,000, it’ll make an impact even if you and your friends don’t buy one quite yet.

And while Zuckerberg’s metaverse vision could be a decade away from reality, there are plenty of relatively easy wins for Meta in the space in 2024.

Its Quest headsets and Ray-Bay smart glasses look dirt cheap compared to Vision Pro, so interest driven by Apple could benefit Meta as soon as next month.

And while YouTube is one of a number of high-profile apps that won’t be available for Vision Pro, Meta is well placed to attract anyone looking for a dose of social video (Reels!) from the computer on their face.

Deepfake Rishi points to a dizzying year of bile and misinformation

Anyone who has been following recent advances in deepfake tech could have predicted this. 2024, the year of big elections around the world, is going to be a confusing one.

As The Guardian reported this week:

Oh dear. Get ready for the US and UK elections - these recent deepfake ads are likely to be just a taste of what’s in store.

And if Rishi Sunak’s own party is anything to go by (and the fact Donald Trump is likely to be the Republican candidate in the US), the tone of this year’s elections is likely to be pretty, er, in-your-face to put it mildly.

In the week TikTok announced its plans to counter election misinformation this year, we’re going to have to hope that those plans are enough. Are the big platforms really prepared?

Moderation teams seemed like an easy target for layoffs just last year. Will that seem like a shortsighted cost-saving a year from now?

Trump already sees himself as above the law, so a little (or a lot of) deepfake electioneering against his opponent certainly wouldn’t be beyond him.

Buckle up. It’s going to be an interesting ride. Let’s hope we get safely to the other side.

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✨ NEW & NOTEWORTHY

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

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😆 LOL

Now this is a fake feature that could be REALLY useful…

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🪧 BRANDS

The UK’s official weather agency isn’t the kind of place you’d expect to deal in risqué sass, but…

Also:

• Did the UK Conservative party go too far with this Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul reference attacking Labour leader Keir Starmer?

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📈 GOING VIRAL

Of all the things to go viral, a stretch of water between the UK and mainland Europe is probably the not what you’d expect…

Will your romantic partner peel an orange for you? It’s apparently a serious question, and it generated plenty of memes this week:

Also:

• Is it a good idea to put a video on TikTok of the moment you got laid off?

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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 BBC World Service about how Elon Musk’s overhaul of verification has transformed the platform… for the worse.

• I gave my predictions for social in 2024 to this new report from Socialinsider

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🗣️ INDUSTRY CHAT

This is a fun thread highlighting the diverse career paths into social media.

Check out the comments to see how others got sucked into their career in social…

Also, sometimes I wonder… Worth checking out the replies to this one, as well…

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🙊 WHAT DID YOU SAY?!

"Elon's little echo chamber that rewards people that he rewards"

– Mark Cuban’s take on what X has become

Also:

• “He seems wounded” – John Oliver latest poke in response to Elon Musk’s criticism of his comedy

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👀 MY FAV READS

‘The rest of the world uses WhatsApp’ might not be a common phrase for much longer, as Americans are starting to use the app in droves…

Also:

• How Twitch lost its way

• Smart social predictions for 2024

• Meta can ride Apple’s coattails to victory in mixed reality

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👌 PRO TIP

Not so long ago, hashtags were accepted as a good way to gain reach on LinkedIn. Is that still the case?

Social Media Today asked LinkedIn for the truth: TLDR: they used to work but not anymore.

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😮 WTF?!

Maybe it’s time to review how much access Facebook has to your photos and videos…

I think I’ll pass on this one, Meta… 🤔👇

Also:

• A Youtuber was arrested… for throwing poo at train passengers. Anything for a few views, eh?

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🤦 FAIL

X’s Community Notes are a boon for users, but they sure ruin things for advertisers… which X really needs more of.

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🪦 RIP

Social media features heading for the graveyard:

Instagram’s original founders launched news app Artifact to a blaze of hype early last year, but it’s already shutting down….

Want to know why? TechCrunch explains what happened…

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🤖 SOCIAL A.I.

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

TikTok has added an A.I. song generation feature

• LinkedIn's new AI feature helps people find jobs by grouping them into tailored categories

• ByteDance has quietly launched 4 new generative A.I. apps powered by Open AI’s GPT

• Making videos in Premiere Pro? Adobe has rolled out A.I. audio editing tools

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📊 SOCIAL STATS

73%

– the percentage of TikTok users who say the ability to skip an ad makes them more likely to engage with it.

56% say they’re more likely to watch videos if they have the option to skip

• YouTube is making up to $13.4 million a year from a new breed of climate denial content, a monitoring group says

• 48,000 companies sent Facebook data on a single person. On average, it received data from 2,230 different companies for each user in an independent study

• Meta says its A.I. tools boost ad campaign returns by 32%

• How social marketing budgets are changing

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📈 CHARTED

TikTok is gaining traction as a search engine among Gen Z…

• Twitch’s struggles in one chart

• Meta spends way more than many other big US corporations on private jets for top execs

• Social media is now the leading source of local news in the UK

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• Meta’s Oversight Board has called the company out for not protecting LGBTQ people online. [Rolling Stone]

• Meta has been granted patents for tech including a wristband interface for AR glasses. [Patently Apple]

• Millions of Facebook users are at risk of A.I. bots in Messenger, particularly children, according to some security experts. [Tech Times]

• A Facebook moderator suffered work-related mental trauma, a Spanish court has ruled. [Reuters $$$]

• Anyone can tell if you are using WhatsApp on your computer. [TechCrunch]

• Meta has been accused by a group of smaller companies of not respecting the EU’s new competition rules. [CNBC]

• Marketers are warming to Meta's A.I.-powered Advantage+ ad tools. [AdWeek $$$]

• Meta and DoubleVerify has expanded their brand safety partnership. [DoubleVerify]

Insights to give you an edge at work:

• 20 ways to get more views on Instagram Reels. [Hootsuite blog]

New features and tests:

Facebook:

• Facebook has added a new button in the post composer menu, called “Get calls”. [@oncescuradu]

Instagram:

• Instagram now notifies accounts when they gain followers from collaborative posts. [Lindsey Gamble]

• Instagram now highlights potential spam follow requests. [@jonahmanzano]

• Instagram now lets you review potential spam tags. [@jonahmanzano]

• Instagram is testing vertical swipes between Stories again. [@theahmedghanem]

• Instagram now lets you quickly switch to your Facebook account. [@theahmedghanem]

Threads:

• Threads has added a confirmation message so you don’t accidentally remove someone you follow. [@lucaspuskaric]

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• X has been flooded with bizarre ads smearing a TV chef to promote a crypto platform. [Vice]

• A US court has rejected X’s claim of a right to alert Donald Trump to Jan. 6-related search warrant. [Washington Post $$$]

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• A mother whose child died in a TikTok challenge has urged a US court to revive a lawsuit against the platform. [Reuters $$$]

• TikTok has announced its 2024 Super Bowl Tailgate event, featuring Gwen Stefani. [Social Media Today]

New features and tests:

• TikTok analytics now has new real-time metrics. [@oncescuradu]

• TikTok on the web now shows the auto-scroll option. [@MattNavarra]

• TikTok is introducing an ‘Agency Official Account’ type for agencies for scouting creators. [@theahmedghanem]

• TikTok now lets users allow or prevent others from adding your videos to their stories. [@theahmedghanem]

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💥 EVEN MORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS & UPDATES

• YouTube is restructuring its creator management teams. [TubeFilter]

• Bluesky has hired its own moderators directly, and plans to open-source its own moderation review system. [The Verge]

• A.I.-based moderation can reportedly stymie legal cases against online sexual abuse. [The Guardian]

• The EU has sent information requests to 17 tech firms including Meta, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube, over how they can better open their data to researchers. [Reuters $$$]

• Reddit must share IP addresses of piracy-discussing users, film studios have argued. [Ars Technica]

• Men are turning to OnlyFans for emotional connection amid a loneliness epidemic. [Business Insider]

• Interest in pro-Russia influencer accounts is tanking on Telegram. [Fast Company]

• Twitch has quietly ended its partnerships with Rolling Stone, Complex and Vice. [AdWeek $$$]

• Snapchat has launched an AR art activation in partnership with Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. [Social Media Today]

• VidCon has announced its creator lineup for 2024, including Hank Green, Dinah Jane, and the recently-retired MatPat. [Rolling Stone]

New features and tests:

• Snapchat and Instagram will support Samsung’s SuperHDR features in the new Galaxy S24. [Engadget]

• Snapchat has launched an AR lens and dance challenge to mark the 25th(!!!!💀) anniversary of Britney Spears’ Baby One More Time. [AdWeek $$$]

• Snapchat has added Story Gifting, which lets you support creators by sending gifts on their Stories.[@theahmedghanem]

• Snapchat now lets you show others if you’ve recently been active on the app. [@theahmedghanem]

• Bluesky has added a bunch of small updates. [@theahmedghanem]

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📰 WEEKEND READS

Also worth a read:

• The quiet death of Ello’s big dreams

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😳 AND FINALLY…

When Elon Musk auctioned off a load of old Twitter office decor, some ex-employees were keen to get bidding…

Would YOU have paid $500 for a giant hashtag?

📅 BACK NEXT WEEK…

…And that’s your geeky social media debriefing… Done! 🤓 ✅

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✨ Let me help you with that…

If you would like me to speak at your event, consult on your social media strategy, or get my help to boost your social media career with a coaching call…

…I currently have availability in February for new clients. Reply to this email for more info

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Right… I’m heading off to prep for filming a new Netflix documentary I’ve be asked to feature in. More details soon.

Goodbye, Geeks!

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