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Hello, geeks!

Welcome to your weekly download of everything new in social.

We have Met Gala memes, Pope posts popping off, Instagram overlord Adam Mosseri’s revealing court testimony…

…And a bumper crop of brand new AI features across YouTube, Instagram, Threads, and more.

But first… You’ll want to check these out:

• 😱 Run social for a brand? You need this — My fav tool for keeping accounts locked down. [ad]
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• 🔥 One of the smartest creator campaigns I’ve seen — and none of the creators even posted! [ad]

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Femurs, Feelings, and Finding The One ❤️

This week’s been a bit of a whirlwind — equal parts emotional, exhausting, and heartwarming.

My son Aven (11) had major surgery in Cardiff over the weekend.

Due to a birth defect, his legs have always turned inward when walking, which caused joint pain and constant tripping when running.

So the surgeons had to break his femur, insert metal rods, and pin everything in place. Hardcore stuff.

The operation went smoothly (huge relief), but Aven’s now on strict rest — wheelchair-bound for a few weeks, then crutches for another month or so. Luckily, he’s handling it like a champ.

The heavy duty painkillers are working. Xbox is being rinsed. And he’s living his best bed-bound life off school.

Amid all that, I also celebrated a special anniversary with my girlfriend, Sarah.

I still can’t believe that one random, last-ditch Tinder swipe — 125 miles from home — led to meeting the most incredible woman. It really was one of those sliding doors moments.

She’s smart, kind, gorgeous, and somehow thinks I’m a catch. (Still baffled by that.)

I think I summed it up best in the card I gave her… 👇😁

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🔥 GEEKOUT HOT 5

Geekout’s pick of the hottest headlines in social this week:

2. Meta’s personalised AI chatbot sparks new privacy backlash [REOFFENDING]

3. Trump says he might extend TikTok sell-off deadline… Again [STALLING]

4. Meta won $167.25m in damages from NSO Group for using spyware on WhatsApp [COMPENSATING]

5. Instagram suggested ‘groomers’ connect with kids, FTC says [DISTURBING]

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The Creators Didn’t Post. The Campaign Still Went Viral 🔥

What if you ran an influencer campaign… but the influencers never posted?

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Linqia partnered with 8 LinkedIn Top Voices (including Geekout friends Lia Haberman and Lindsey Gamble) to film playful, unscripted reviews of a totally fake product: Linqia Sea Moss Gel.

But instead of publishing the content to their feeds, Linqia stitched the footage into:

• 📺 A slick TV ad

• 🗽 A Times Square billboard

• 🚇 DOOH placements across subways

• 🎥 A YouTube homepage takeover

It’s one of the smartest creator plays I’ve seen in a while — and a massive proof-of-concept…

…You’re sitting on way more value than you think if you stop at just the creator’s post.

This is what extending creator content actually looks like | [Watch the Campaign Video]

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⚖️ META ON TRIAL

The FTC vs Meta trial continues and there were more juicy revelations this week.

The Verge has a blow-by-blow account of the notable events in the courtroom…

Some noteworthy tidbits from the case this week:

• Threads was originally going to live inside the Instagram app

• Instagram boss Adam Mosseri thinks YouTube and TikTok have become closer rivals to Instagram over the years

• Adam Mosseri also said he moderated a ‘strained’ relationship between Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram’s founders…

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✨ NEW & NOTEWORTHY

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

Meta / Facebook 👥

• Meta launched new features for advertisers, including Reels Trending Ads, Facebook Live Partnership Ads, AI-Powered Trend Discovery, and more

• Meta has launched Reels trend ads, Threads video ads and AI creator tools

• Ex-Meta workers say they were cut for quotas, not poor performance as the company claimed

• Meta’s Conversations business messaging conference comes to the U.S. for the first time, set for July 1 in Miami and streamed globally

• Meta is exploring stablecoins for global creator payouts to cut cross-border fees.

• Meta rebranded it's Quest+ Subscription To Horizon+

• Meta’s encryption has been blamed for a historic drop in child abuse reports

• Facebook now shows Page admins their weekly challenge progress as a Story to help them track it more easily

• Facebook is working on a Support section for Pages

• Facebook now includes a copyright check feature for Reels

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Instagram ✨

• Instagram just dropped new features for its Edits app, including 50 new text animations, 30 new filters + transitions, 125 fonts, 15 voice effects, auto captions, a frame rate selector, a safe zones + alignment tool, and more

• Instagram’s ‘Blend’ feature is rolling out to more regions of the world

• Instagram is pushing its new Edits app in notifications

• Instagram is now showing “views count” on carousels with music/sound attached, as well as Reels on profiles

• Instagram is testing “song suggestions” for Stories

• Instagram will now let you share your comment to Threads, including a preview and the original post attached

• Instagram is testing a new feature that lets you hide all your Reels view counts, so no one can see them on your Reels tab

• Instagram is running a referral program that pays you when you share links that drive new IG user sign-ups

• Instagram launched the first official use of unlockable reels with The Weeknd

• Instagram is working on animated emojis for DMs

• Instagram’s Storylines feature looks set to be renamed story chains (all lower case, for da kidz)

__________

WhatsApp 🟢 / Threads 🧵 

• WhatsApp added an ‘Add Yours’ sticker for Status posts

• WhatsApp is working on a new “Layout” feature for Status updates

• WhatsApp is testing a feature to create and share topics for status updates

• WhatsApp is working on adding sub-tabs within the “Updates” tab

• WhatsApp is testing a new option to share video status updates up to 90 seconds long

• WhatsApp may soon let you open business website links directly within the app

• WhatsApp is officially releasing 8 new emojis from the latest Unicode 16.0, now available directly in the emoji keyboard

• Threads will begin testing 19:9 and 1:1 auto-playing video ads in the feed

• Threads now tells you when your posts are demoted

• Threads is testing a new “Mark Spoiler” feature

• Threads is testing on a redesigned video player UI on iOS

• Threads added a “live updates banner” for Met Gala posts

• Threads is working on a new ‘Snippits’ feature. But it’s not clear what is actually does

• Threads posts with videos may not drive as much engagement as other types of post, because its algorithm “ranks more for perspectives and conversations than for entertaining content,” says Adam Mosseri

__________

Twitter (‘X’) 🤡

• X is experimenting with Reddit-style Up and Downvotes on posts

• X is looking for a PR pro to repair its image - the challenge of a lifetime!

• X has blocked 8,000 Indian accounts under government pressure

• Pakistan unblocked X after 15-month ban over election content

• X looks set to partner with Persona on ID confirmation for payments

• Turkey moved to silence jailed Erdogan rival by his blocking account on X 

__________

YouTube 📺 / Snapchat 👻

• YouTube supercharged brand-creator collabs with AI-powered creator search, and upgraded Creator Partnerships Hub, and more

• YouTube is testing a discounted two-person Premium subscription tier

• Snapchat has launched AR lens to teach British Sign Language

• Snapchat has added a transcription feature for voice messages

• Snapchat now allows users to log in to multiple accounts

__________

TikTok 📱

• TikTok also upgraded its ad tools with Pulse Core and Pulse Premiere, placing ads next to top videos and big media content

• TikTok spent nearly $1 billion improving shopping safety and IP enforcement

• TikTok will build a new data centre in Finland as part of “Project Clover,” aimed at storing EU user data locally

• TikTok wants to help creators engage with their fans via a new ‘Creator Chat Room’ feature 

• TikTok launched a new Skills Initiative to inspire the next generation of workers

• TikTok launched new small business support initiatives, including $1M in ad credits for U.S. SMBs

• The most-followed TikTok stars in 2025, revealed

__________

LinkedIn / Reddit / Telegram / More… 💼

• LinkedIn now lets you embed video content alone, without full post text.

• LinkedIn has launched new premium video ad options

• LinkedIn is testing an updated video tab featuring carousels of videos based on specific topics or trends

• Reddit launched enhanced profiles for brands using Reddit Pro, including the ability to showcase community posts and comments on profiles

• Reddit will begin verifying users' humanity using third-party services to combat AI bots.

• Substack has added audio-only livestreams for camera-shy creators

• Telegram has had a bunch of updates, including batch uploading of images or videos to Stories, and auto-splitting long videos across Stories

• CapCut has introduced two new features, “Collage” and “Capture,” in the latest iOS beta

• Shazam launched a new Viral Chart to track hit songs across TikTok, TV, and more

• Netflix is launching a TikTok-like feed on its mobile app

• Substack added an audio-only livestream option for camera-shy creators

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🔥 Want to see more hot NEW features spotted in the wild this week?

Just head to the ‘More news’ section below!

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🤖 SOCIAL A.I.

The newest social media A.I. features spotted this week:

Also spotted this week 👀

• Leaked docs show Meta’s AI is trained to be flirty, but not explicit

• Meta’s new AI app now saves chats and builds memory files, including sensitive info like fertility or payday loan searches

• WhatsApp is working on an AI-generated message summaries feature

• WhatsApp may soon let you create AI-generated chat wallpapers using Meta AI

• Messenger’s Meta AI can now do more with images

• YouTube’s new AI-powered creator search in Insights Finder helps brands find the right creators using natural language queries

• Pinterest has added AI-enhanced visual search

• xAI added a new “Open app in Voice Mode” feature on Grok AI’s iOS app

• Meta AI’s image generation feature added customisation options including Style and Ideas, and the ability to add text to the images

• Snapchat added AI smarts and sponsored DMs, and more, to its ad toolbox

• LinkedIn rolled out smarter, AI-powered job search that lets you search for roles using natural language (+ AI-Powered job coaching for Premium users)

• Reddit plans to use human verification to fight AI bot infiltration

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😆 LOL

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📈 MEMES

The Met Gala basically exists to be memed, and this year’s was no exception…

A few highlights below. Check out the best of the rest here.

Also:

• The Pope conclave produced the funniest memes

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🌡️ VIRAL

I didn’t expect to be writing THIS in Geekout… Elmo from Sesame Street went viral this week, thanks to a LinkedIn post.

The beloved character claimed his was laid off, causing a wave of outrage across the internet.

The puppet HASN’T been laid off, but the now-deleted post did highlight the importance of public media in the US at a time of severe public spending cuts.

Read the full LinkedIn post here 👇

Also:

• Dangerous TikTok trend sees students set their laptops on fire

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🪧 BRANDS

Who doesn’t love Duolingo’s 🦉 marketing strategy? Here’s a good look at how they do it…

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🙊 WHAT DID YOU SAY?!

“You’re either growing, or you’re slowly dying."

- Instagram boss Adam Mosseri in court, on how Meta handles competition

Also overheard this week:

• “I don't even like managing people" – Mark Zuckerberg on his leadership style at Meta

• “Tim’s had a bad week… I’m not gonna pile on, but I like Sundar” – Mark Zuckerberg responds to the US court decision forcing Apple to loosen its App Store rules, siding with Google CEO Sundar Pichai

• Instagram boss Adam Mosseri admitted in court that launching Reels inside Stories was his “biggest mistake”

• Donald Trump says he has a "warm spot in his heart" for TikTok

• “TikTok is here!” – TikTok sales chief Khartoon Weiss tries to reassure advertisers the app won’t be banned, at NewFronts 2025

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👀 MY FAV READS

“Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg laid out his vision for a black-box, end-to-end AI advertising product during a fireside at Stripe's Sessions conference.”

Also:

• Zuckerberg’s grand vision: Most of your friends will be AI

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😮 WTF?!

“Dozens of YouTube channels are using generative AI to depict cartoon cats and minions being beaten, starved, and sexualised...” 😳

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🤦‍♂️ FAIL

Elon Musk’s AI bot is undressing women on X 🤮…

Also:

• YouTube scrambled to fix a major video upload problem affecting creators

• YouTube’s album playlists are being hijacked by spam—and nobody noticed

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👔 YOU’RE HIRED!

Hot new social media jobs worth checking out this week:

Vox Media needs a Social Media Designer for New York Magazine [Remote, USA]

More top social media jobs spotted this week 💼

• Yahoo is recruiting a Social Media Manager for AOL [Remote, USA]

• The UK Government Digital Service needs a Social Media Manager [Bristol or Manchester, UK]

• Channel 4 is looking for a Social Strategist (12 months maternity cover) [Leeds or Manchester, UK]

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👌 PRO TIPS

More pro-tips worth checking out ✨

• How footballer Alayah Pilgrim gained 60K Instagram followers and 5M views from one trial Reel

• Facebook ad specs + image sizes — fully updated for 2025

• Facebook has launched a new Creators account on Instagram.

• Meta has launched a full ad measurement guide for marketers

• Meta wants to teach you how to create Reels ads

• The top 250 TikTok hashtags for 2025 and how to use them for growth

• LinkedIn has provided insight into top opportunities for graduates

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📊 SOCIAL STATS

2 BILLION

- Impressions clocked up by Donald Trump’s controversial White House X account in his first 100 days as President

Even more social stats: 📈

• TIKTOKED: Instagram saw a 23% decline in US time spent due to TikTok in 2019

• NOT LAME: Khaby Lame tops the list of most-followed TikTok stars, with 162.5 million followers

• PINTERESTED: Pinterest’s monthly active users are up 10% YoY to 570m

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📈 CHARTED

– ChatGPT’s monthly pageviews, as it overtakes X for the first time

More charted social insights spotted this week: 👀.

• UNDETERRED: Marketers are still spending on TikTok despite the looming US ban

• STARTING WITH SOCIAL: Social media and YouTube are the starting point for discovery for Gen Z consumers

• KING OF REACH: YouTube’s reach tops all — but ad dollars go elsewhere

• PUBLISHER BOOM: How engagement with publishers’ Facebook posts rocketed this year

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• Meta has joined the FBI in a global push to stop online financial scams. [Meta Newsroom]

• Ireland wants EU laws changed to force platforms like Meta to verify financial advertisers. [Financial Times $$$]

• Meta has chosen a new head for its AI lab. [Bloomberg $$$]

• Meta’s Reality Labs COO has departed amid mounting losses and restructure. [Business Insider $$$]

New features and tests:

Instagram:

• Instagram’s customer chat support has added the ability to attach screenshots for any account issues. [@jonahmanzano]

Threads:

• Threads has added an “Account Status” section under Settings. [@jonahmanzano]

• Threads now allows users to visit a user’s profile first before you follow. [@oncescuradu]

• Threads has updated users’ Fediverse usernames to reflect its new domain, threads.com. [@theahmedghanem]

WhatsApp

• WhatsApp has been spotted offering some kind of App Clip on iOS. [@jonahmanzano]

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💥 EVEN MORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS & UPDATES

• UK regulator Ofcom needs more powers to tackle viral misinformation, a top police watchdog says. [BBC News]

• New Zealand’s prime minister has proposed a social media ban for under-16s. [The Guardian]

• The University of North Carolina is pioneering a program to turn all student-athletes into paid influencers. [New York Times $$$]

• Pinterest has launched a new promotional campaign focused on personalised looks. [Social Media Today]

• Prosecutors in Brazil are investigating TikTok for monetising young creators who do not have the right to work. [Rest of World]

• TikTok's UK boss says it's now a real player in film and TV. [Deadline]

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📰 WEEKEND READS

Geekout’s pick of the best longer reads to sink into over the weekend:

“Instagram wants people to share content in DMs, and meme-focused media company Doing Things is crafting its video strategy to meet the moment…”

More great weekend reads:

• Labubus, Jellycats and Crybaby: Why are toys going viral in 2025?

• Meta’s AI app is a nightmarish social feed

• Why TikTok Shop can’t shake its knockoff problem

• TikTok creators are reviving the web series — and viewers are hooked

• YouTube creators are quietly replacing Hollywood studios

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😳 AND FINALLY…

“The internet has been debating if 100 ordinary men can take down a single gorilla…” 🦍

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📅 BACK NEXT WEEK…

Alrighty, folks… That’s this week’s Geekout. Done. ☑️

I’m heading off to dive into some desk research for a new Channel 4 documentary on how Gen Z brands are using social media.

If it ever makes it to air, I’ll give you fair warning — so you can either tune in or grab screenshots to meme the shit out of me.

Goodbye, geeks!

P.S. This newsletter is edited by Martin SFP Bryant