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Hello, geeks!
Bear with me this week.
Tiny football detour before we get back to the usual social media chaos.
I’m still buzzing from my trip to the Emirates to watch Arsenal batter Fulham 3-0, thanks to WhatsApp.
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Being invited into the WhatsApp suite was already a ridiculous privilege.
But what happened next absolutely blew my mind. And my 72-year-old father-in-law’s.
We arrived at the Emirates at 1pm and were taken on a VIP stadium tour, including the changing room, directors’ box, press room and a few other places most fans never get normally get access to.
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A few hours later, we headed up to the executive box, where we met a brilliant group of creators WhatsApp had also invited for the matchday experience.
Then, just when I thought the day had peaked, the WhatsApp team asked if we wanted to watch the players warm up before kick-off.
Minutes later, we were walking down the tunnel and out onto the pitch in front of a packed Emirates. Absolute “what is my life?” territory.
We wandered around pitchside, trying not to accidentally wander into Sky Sports’ live coverage, while fans presumably wondered who on earth are these nobodies, and why we were getting the full VIP treatment.
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Pitchside before kick-off with my father-in-law and creator @donalleniii
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Then we were standing just a few feet away from Saka, Rice, Dowman, Raya and the rest of the squad. To say I was living my best life is an understatement.
After that, we went back to the box for great food, endless drinks and some of the best seats in the stadium as Arsenal kept the pressure on Man City in the title race with a 3-0 win.
As a lifelong Arsenal fan, that alone was a bucket list moment.
But WhatsApp had one final surprise….
After the final whistle, we were ushered out of the box and told we were heading back down to the pitch…To meet Bukayo Saka. WTF!!
We waited pitchside for a few minutes while Declan Rice and Max Dowman warmed down just a few metres away. Nuts!
Then Saka casually appeared, hung out with us for 5-10 minutes, answered questions, signed shirts and took loads of selfies.
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It was all very, very surreal.
But one funny moment worth sharing was when Kiss FM DJ Ellie Prohan asked Saka to dab!
Here’s what it looked like in Ellie’s viral Reel:
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And here’s what REALLY happened: 🤣
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And, because the day apparently wasn’t ridiculous enough already, we also brushed past a few famous faces, including Piers Morgan and Sir Keir Starmer.
A HUGE thank you to the WhatsApp team for gifting us such an incredible day.
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And a big shoutout to the Arsenal partnerships team for making us feel like actual VIPs for the day.
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1 cool thing…
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New Mexico drags Meta back to court seeking $3.7B for being a ‘public nuisance’ [LAWYERING]
Meta is building an AI agent called ‘Hatch’ to do work for users online [AUTOMATING]
French prosecutors escalate probe of Elon Musk and X to criminal investigation [LAW-BREAKING]
Snap officially ended its $400M AI partnership with Perplexity [SPLITTING]
Meta’s AI agent is a wakeup call for social media pros
The news this week from the FT (above) and The Information that Meta is building an AI agent that can carry out tasks online on users’ behalf got me thinking…
As The Information explains:
“Meta is training the OpenClaw-inspired agent, internally called “Hatch,” with the goal of internal testing by the end of June, one of the people said. The aim is for Hatch, the name of which might change once it is launched, to be able to perform a range of tasks for people. As part of its training work, for example, Meta has built “sandboxed” web environments where the agent can be tested on simulations of real websites such as DoorDash, Etsy, Reddit, Yelp, and Outlook, the person said.”
Whether ‘Hatch’ makes it out to users eventually in this form or not, the fact is AI tech is getting smarter and more capable, and it absolutely will change how we work as social media pros.
In the coming years, the best social media professionals will be leading AI-powered content production teams, NOT managing platforms and channels.
I've spent years watching this industry from the inside. Talking to platform teams, advising brands, tracking how the role has evolved.
Here's what I'm seeing: platforms are automating the tactical work. Scheduling, basic analytics, content suggestions, even caption writing. AI tools are handling more of the execution layer every month.
That means the value of a social media manager is no longer in knowing how to post at the right time or format a carousel.
The value is in judgment. It's in taste. Knowing what your brand should say when a platform changes its algorithm overnight.
The value is in understanding which trends to ignore and which ones actually matter for your audience. Making calls under pressure when something goes sideways.
Those are leadership skills, not platform skills.
Right now, most social teams are still structured like the work is primarily tactical. One person doing everything, or small teams split by platform.
But the companies that get this right over the next 12-18 months will start hiring social leads who think like attention strategists. They'll build teams around creative direction, community intelligence, and crisis response.
The job title might still say "Social Media Manager." But the actual work will look a lot more like leading a newsroom, media publisher, or running a brand studio.
This shift is already happening. I'm watching it play out in real time with the brands I advise.
If you're in this industry and you've been waiting for permission to think bigger than posting schedules, this is it. The question is whether you're building the skills that will matter when AI automation and agents go mainstream.
Meta
/ Facebook
Meta is going to war with UK regulator Ofcom over how it calculates massive fines
Meta is being sued by five major publishers for allegedly training its AI on pirated books
Meta is being investigated in Ireland over “dark patterns” in Instagram and Facebook
Meta has snapped up AI robotics startup Assured Robot Intelligence to push deeper into humanoid AI tech
Meta is strengthening end-to-end encrypted backups using secure hardware vaults across data centres
Facebook is seeing a sudden engagement boom as it prioritises original content and monetisation to attract creators
Facebook is reintroducing the Create button on iOS, bringing quick access to Live, Post, Reel, and Story options in one place
Facebook has started categorising camera roll media types in the creation sheet.
Facebook is testing a new splash screen that encourages you to send friend requests to people you’re not connected with
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Instagram
Instagram Edits gets new creative tools
Instagram Edits added new benchmarking insights, transcription controls, photo blending, and more
Instagram faces a growing backlash as LGBTQ creators and sex workers report bans and shadowbans. Meta says it’s targeting explicit solicitation, but reversing mistaken bans is not easy
Instagram has been spotted alerting users to an algorithm change that favours posts from followed accounts when you open the app
Instagram is testing an option to swap out text in someone else’s Reels
Instagram is now showing the chart position of every trending song added as a soundtrack in an Reel
Instagram Edits has added an option to pin projects
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Threads
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WhatsApp
Threads new animated stickers flooding the feed | Credit: Threads
Threads has a new animated text option, and its already starting to annoy, turning the feed into a epileptic nightmare!
Threads is testing TikTok-style music sharing with playable stickers
Threads will now automatically break large blocks of pasted text into a thread of posts
Threads has exceeded 150 million daily active users, but monetisation is still the long game for Meta
Threads is rolling out DMs on the web
Threads is expanding trending topics to more countries
Threads is working on a new way to create tags on Android
Threads now lets you choose whether replies to ghost posts appear publicly on the post or privately in messages
Threads has been spotted testing a tweaked icon (and on Instagram). Is a new logo in the works?
Threads added a new ‘Like’ animation for posts tagged with “Met Gala”.
WhatsApp is working on the ability to archive status updates after they expire
WhatsApp now prompts you to choose what you want to clear when selecting “Clear Chat,” with options to delete only media files or the entire conversation
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TikTok
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YouTube
TikTok users can now buy movie tickets in-app, starting with Billie Eilish’s new film
TikTok advertisers can now access 1.1M+ real-world ad placement locations, include Times Square
TikTok launched a refreshed UI for Creator Search Insights
TikTok now lets you copy a post’s caption or search directly from it by long-pressing on the text
YouTube is testing a major mobile redesign, shifting Home and Subscriptions to the top
YouTube is testing dynamic auto-sized video and thumbnails to make mobile feeds more immersive
YouTube TV dodged another content blackout with a last-minute content deal to keep The Weather Channel, Comedy TV and more on the platform
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LinkedIn
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Twitch
LinkedIn’s new ad agency certification | Credit: LinkedIn
LinkedIn launched a global Ads Agency Certification to separate real LinkedIn ad experts from the rest
LinkedIn’s “who viewed you” feature faces legal challenge in the EU, where a privacy group says the late means it should be free
LinkedIn fixed a long-standing issue where PDF carousels appeared to degrade after upload despite looking fine in preview
LinkedIn and Amazon are teaming up to bring job-targeted ads to connected TVs
Twitch embraced the “mogging” trend, updating its rules to allow streams powered by Omoggle, which compares users’ looks using AI in live video matchups.
Twitch is rolling out stricter penalties for viewbotting
Meta is expanding AI age checks across Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger to better enforce its 13+ rule.
AI will now analyse posts, bios, comments, and activity signals to catch those who enter a fake birthday.
Meta will also analyse users’ bone structure, height, and visual clues to detect under-13s.
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Also spotted this week…
Instagram plans to launch an AI shopping tool enabling tap-to-buy from Reels and feeds
Instagram is testing optional “AI creator” labels to improve transparency around AI-generated content
YouTube is testing a new AI music generator tool that lets creators instantly swap out copyrighted songs with royalty-free audio
xAI launched Grok 4.3 with powerful voice cloning tools and more
Google’s AI search summaries will now quote Reddit and other online sources
ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, is launching paid plans for its ChatGPT rival Doubao in China
Bumble is scrapping swiping entirely, calling it a tired, broken way to date. The app will switch to AI matchmaking
Meta’s $375 million loss in its New Mexico trial may be just the start, with a new trial phase underway.
New Mexico is seeking sweeping changes: age verification, under-18 limits, encryption restrictions, and reduced infinite scroll.
Oh, and Meta says the AG’s office is seeking “approximately $3.7 billion in abatement costs as well as injunctive relief” 🤯
AG Raúl Torrez said fines alone won’t shift behaviour, calling them a “cost of doing business.”
A ruling could force product redesigns and set a precedent across the tech industry.
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Also:
Meta wants a judge to throw out the landmark social media addiction verdict in California. Meta argues Section 230 shields it, insisting “content,” not features like autoplay, caused harm.
Snapchat’s global growth in Q1 masks a worrying trend…
Snapchat hit 483 million daily users, adding 9M new users in Q1 — but growth is masking a bigger problem.
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Snapchat use in core markets is shrinking, losing 2M users in North America, and 1M in Europe.
New users are coming from lower-value regions, where ad revenue is weaker.
Revenue rose +12% to ~$1.53B, driven by ads (esp. +30% growth in Dynamic Product Ads).
Teen social media bans = real threat — with 415K Snapchat accounts wiped out in Australia alone.
Snap’s CEO Evan Spiegel calls it a “crucible moment” as growth slows and pressure builds.
Snap’s big bets (more ads, subscriptions, AR glasses) all have limits — but none are guaranteed to fix declining core usage.
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Pinterest Q1 Results:
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Pinterest’s stock spiked nearly 20% after posting strong Q1 results and an upbeat outlook, with revenue hitting $1.01 billion
Pinterest grew to 631M users, adding 12M new users mostly outside the US and EU.
Revenue rose 18% YoY to over $1B, beating expectations.
Pinterest’s CEO says AI-driven “Taste Graph” fuels “ten straight quarters” of growth.
Ad impressions rose 24%, but ad pricing fell 5% year-over-year.
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The annual Met Gala is an absolute magnet for memes.
And this year’s event didn’t disappoint with its ‘fashion is art’ dress code…
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Find more Met Gala meme goodness at Rolling Stone or Indy100.
Instagram’s BIG bot purge just hit…
What was going on this week on Instagram with all those celebrity follower drops?
Some big-name celebrities lost millions of followers overnight. The Daily Mail broke out a list of the biggest losers.
Instagram itself lost the most, down 10.9M followers
Cristiano Ronaldo lost 6.6M
Kim Kardashian lost 5.1M
Beyonce dropped 4.4M
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Don’t worry if any of your accounts were affected…
…Meta told The Tab it was a routine purge:
“…As part of our routine process to remove inactive accounts, some Instagram accounts may have noticed updates to their follower counts. Active followers remain unaffected, and any restored suspended account will be included in the count again after verification…”
Move over, sponsorships…
Some big creators are shifting to equity deals with brands to future-proof their income by taking an ownership stake.
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More brand news and views:
Why so many creators are joining the C-suite at big-name brands, with titles like “chief creative officer” and “chief kindness officer”
How TikTok Shop is winning over major brands
“There aren’t many that I would want to give to my mother”
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Also quoted this week:
“Elon won, and a trust entity took a small fine, without admitting anything, for being some days late on a filing. Case closed.”
- Elon Musk’s lawyer Alex Spiro summarises the outcome of Elon’s legal battle against the SEC over how he carried out his Twitter acquisition
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“If we end up with a large percentage of the users lurking in the feed and chatting in the DMs … I think that's totally great”
- Meta’s Head of Threads Connor Hayes is cool with lurkers
This is an interesting look at how generative AI is transforming the creator economy.
Lots of insights in here worth perusing!
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Also worth a read:
RIP social media. What comes next is messy
TikTok has launched a global ad campaign to cement its role as a shopping powerhouse.
The campaign’s tagline “Watch it. Love it. Want it.” signals the platform’s shift from entertainment towards commerce.
@tiktokforbusiness Today marks a new chapter as we introduce our new global positioning: Watch it. Love it. Want it. 💛 TikTok is the place where attention tu... See more
Following X scrapping the Communities feature, Acorn has launched a decentralised, creator-first alternative.
Built on Bluesky’s AT Protocol, it gives full control over feeds, moderation, and data.
Features include starter packs, custom feeds, analytics, badges, and anti-troll tools.
The dark side of the microdrama boom?
Real actors turning up in AI-generated sex scenes 😬
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More WTF this week:
US state healthcare sites have been caught sending citizens’ data to Meta and TikTok
Christian content creators are outsourcing AI slop to gig workers on Fiverr
Why are so many influencers speaking at Harvard Business School?
Actors are speaking out against AI-generated microdrama promos that put them in fake sex scenes
Scammers posing as ICE agents and attorneys are targeting US immigrants through WhatsApp
TikTok is scaling back its AI video summaries after bizarre, viral misfires.
The feature called Charli D’Amelio “a collection of various blueberries with different toppings.” 🤣
Other clips were mislabeled as “origami art” or random shapes, sparking a user backlash.
TikTok has confirmed it will refocus the feature on identifying products in videos.
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Also this week:
Facebook account lockouts are surging as AI moderation treats everyday actions like suspicious activity
A YouTube bug has been sending browsers into meltdown with an endless lag loop
WhatsApp is killing off its Metaverse-inspired ‘Avatars’ feature after years of low engagement.
Editing tools are disappearing first, with full removal of avatars, stickers, and profile options underway.
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Also heading to the graveyard:
PSA: As previously announced, Instagram’s encrypted DM support is disappearing today due to low usage.
While it’s bad for privacy, the fact is Instagram barely ever surfaced the feature to users in the app anyway
Airbnb is looking for a Social Lead (Instagram) [Remote, USA]
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More social media jobs:
USA Today needs a Social Media and Engagement Content Strategy Analyst [Remote, USA]
London’s Air Ambulance is hiring a Social and Digital Media Manager (Maternity Cover) [Hybrid, London, UK]
WWF is recruiting a Social Media Executive [Hybrid, Woking, UK]
Is your reach dropping on Facebook?
@cmcalgary spotted this in-app checklist for posts.
According to insights from the tool, these are good guidelines to follow.
Your mileage may vary (these things change a lot!), but it’s worth a try.
Posts need to have an image (just 1)
Images need to be 4:5 or 1:91:1 ratio
The topic needs to be clearly explained, even if it seems obvious
10-400 characters
No Random Capitalized Letters
Max of 6 hashtags
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More pro tips:
Reddit published a 13-page playbook to help small businesses tap ad tools and communities
$43.9 BILLION
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More social stats:
FOUNDIT: Reddit’s investment in search is paying off, with usage rising 30% year-over-year
AD IT UP: Social video ad spend is set to grow 13% in 2026, beating CTV’s 11% growth
X DANGER: X remains the most dangerous platform for LGBTQ users. It scored just 29/100 in GLAAD’s 2026 index.
CLICK HERE: TikTok users are heavily influenced by affiliate content, with 77% searching products after seeing them in videos
TEACHERTUBE: YouTube dominates US classrooms, with 94% of teachers using it and Chromebooks driving access
SOCIAL NEWS: 57% of US teens say they get news from social daily, vs 36% of adults
TIKTOK POLITICS: Right-leaning accounts saw 11.5% more aligned content during the 2024 US election, while left-leaning feeds were 7.5% more likely to see opposing views
MR LONELY: A study of 1,500 US adults aged 30–70 found social media isn’t easing loneliness. About 35% of connections are strangers, which are linked to higher loneliness
Social media teams are reporting a sudden and unexplained spike in Facebook engagement…
Rachel Karten spotlighted the spike in her Link In Bio newsletter, with insights from a handful of brands benefiting from the boost:
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More social stats, charted:
PIN-UP: Pinterest’s user growth charted
AI DON’T LIKE IT: Unlabeled AI content is now the #1 social media turn-off, with 28% of users calling it out
NOT A DOCTOR: Half of Americans under 50 now get health advice from influencers or podcasts
INSTAHEALTH: Where you’ll find the most health and wellness influencers online
Also in the news this week:
The FTC has settled with Media Matters after the watchdog group claimed agency retaliation for an article about Elon Musk’s X. [Deadline]
Meta is rolling out AI support programmes to get small and rural businesses using its AI tools. [Social Media Today]
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New features and tests:
X updated message requests in both the main app and the chat app, now showing requests across two separate tabs. [@theahmedghanem]
X is promoting X and Grok as an app package in the App Store. [@oncescuradu]
OnlyFans is rolling out category hubs to make finding creators easier in categories beyond adult content. [Tubefilter]
“No longer reserved for celebrities like Charli xcx and Bad Bunny, wiping your Instagram grid has become a way for ordinary users to reclaim control over an internet that feels ‘too permanent’.”
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Also a great long read this weekend:
Creator empires are cracking as fame fails to scale into real businesses
Your feed is overrun with clips. This is the cutthroat community of “clippers” behind it
The 16-year-old teen secretly running her mom’s influencer empire
How BookTok is reshaping Hollywood
Time limits, curfews or a full ban: how the UK may restrict social media for under-16s
Why TikTok’s comments section is driving the majority of first purchases right now
You’ve got to respect the ingenuity of kidz 🤣
Teens in the UK are easily bypassing social media age verification restrictions — using fake birthdays…
And disguises like fake moustaches! 🥸
And that is everything new in social media land this week.
Apologies for the Arsenal fan-boy behaviour in this week’s Geekout.
Normal service will resume next week.
I’m heading off to see if i can sweet talk Piers Morgan into securing me Champions League Final tickets in Budapest for Arsenal vs. PSG. 😁
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Goodbye, geeks!
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P.S. This newsletter is edited by Martin SFP Bryant
