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Hello, geeks!

Welcome to a birthday addition of Geekout. 🎂 

I celebrated my [AGE REDACTED] birthday yesterday (14 Nov). Guess my age.

Answer revealed at the END of this week’s Geekout (scroll). 👇

Kicking things off this week…

🚨 Warning! If you use the ❤️ emoji a lot, you could be making a BIG political statement

And

LinkedIn quietly launched an exclusive hub for creators. Here’s how to access it

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Tanked up on Growth… But tired! 🥱

A quick thanks to the the GrowthTank event team. I had a blast speaking at there event in Kosovo last week.

It took 14 hours of travelling, with 4 flights, and layovers is 5 countries, to get there. But i made it there and back within 48 hours. View my Instagram Story Highlights here.

I spoke about my non-standard career path in social media, how I turned my ADHD from a challenge into an opportunity, the state of social in 2024, and more.

The full video of my session should be up online shortly, and i will share it in next week’s Geekout, for those who DM’d me asking where to find it online.

Next stop… ✈️

I’m travelling to Belgium to speak at the BAM Marketing Congress event in December.

Other top speakers include Neil Patel (Entrepreneur/Author) and Ann Handley (Author/Keynote speaker).

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Social Media Management Just Got 10x Easier (and Cheaper!) 🎉

Let's be honest, the life of a social media manager is pretty chaotic and relentless!

Between creating engaging content ideas, being extremely online, and responding to Sally in the sales team who wants a PDF poster shared on “the facebook’... It's wild out there! 😭

But what if there was a tool that could calm the chaos? And not break the social team’s (sometimes) depressingly small budget 🤔

SocialBee is an AI-powered platform that's like having a whole team of social media experts at your fingertips.

Why I ❤️ SocialBee:

• AI-Assisted Content Creation: Generate fresh content ideas that will engage your audience 🤖

• Design Integrations: Create stunning visuals with Canva, Unsplash, and GIPHY integrations 🎨

• Hashtag Magic: Boost your reach with optimized hashtags that get your content seen 🪄

• Content Calendar: Plan, edit, and fine-tune your posts to perfection 📆

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🔥 GEEKOUT HOT 5

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

2. Trump raises TikTok’s hopes for a rescue in the United States [HOPES-RISING]

3. Meta plans to test ads on Threads from January [MONETISING]

4. Guardian will no longer post on X from its official accounts [X-IT-ING]

5. Instagram and Facebook users in Europe to see less personalized ads after pressure from regulators [CONCEDING]

The Future of Marketing Revealed!

Join Matt Navarra, Ann Handley, Neil Patel & More at BAM Congress 2024

The BAM Marketing Congress is Belgium’s largest marketing conference,

It brings the world’s top industry experts together for TWO days of the latest insights and innovation. 

The all-star speaker line-up includes… 🔥

⭐️ Matt Navarra (yes, yours truly!)
⭐️ Neil Patel - Forbes Top 100, Best-selling author, Entrepreneur
⭐️ Thomas Erikson - Behaviourist, Best selling author, Executive mentor
⭐️ Ann Handley - Best selling author, LinkedIn influencer, Marketing guru
… And loads more!

With cutting-edge sessions, inspiring speakers, and networking opportunities, this is the place to be for marketing pros looking to level up.

😯 This one is worth checking out!

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🚨 EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT…

Should your brand quit X?

NPR ditched X a while ago, but most media outlets have been happy to continue posting there as Elon Musk has shifted its vibe into increasingly MAGA territory. After all, there’s still a sizeable audience.

So it was notable this week that The Guardian stopped posting:

“We think that the benefits of being on X are now outweighed by the negatives and that resources could be better used promoting our journalism elsewhere,” the newspaper wrote.

But it’s not just The Guardian. X is bleeding users, including multiple celebrities and even a major football club. Horror legend Stephen King, who has turned trolling Elon Musk into a hobby in recent years, finally jettisoned X for Threads yesterday. Even the Swifties leaving for Bluesky.

Bluesky and Threads are growing quickly - Bluesky hit 15 million users this week, with a further million more yesterday, although Threads grew by 15 million this month alone, so it’s still way ahead overall.

So, should other publishers follow X and leave?

The answer is ‘it depends’. X is not dying, it still has plenty of users and will continue to be useful as a distribution and community-building channel for some people and brands.

It’s just that social media is becoming more fragmented. Certain audiences will stay with X, while those who can’t stomach it anymore but who seek a real-time news discussion experience could end up at Bluesky. Want a less newsy, more chatty experience? Maybe Threads is for you.

More choice is a good thing for users, and society. In retrospect, having a single ‘global town square’ that could be taken over by one man wasn’t a great move.

…but more choice does maybe make life potentially more difficult for social media managers.

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✨ NEW & NOTEWORTHY

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

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🤖 SOCIAL A.I.

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

• Instagram is testing simplified AI profile image generation 👤

• X is experimenting with free access to its Grok chatbot

• X has added a ‘Show me funny Grok stories’ option

• YouTube is testing music remixes made by AI

• TikTok has added new generative AI video creation tools for marketers, including Getty Images content

• TikTok now suggests AI-generated replies in DMs

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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 Fast Company about the Trump/Musk bromance, and what might happen next…

Also:

• I spoke to The i Newspaper about the challenge faced by rival platforms trying to become the new Twitter

• I gave a quick comment to The Washington Post about why people are jumping ship from X to Bluesky in their millions

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😆 LOL

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❌ X-ODUS

All the people leaving X at least provided some joke fodder over on the platform…

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🌡️ VIRAL

Want to get fired? This guy will visit your boss and tell them everything you hate about them.

It’s just a comedy act, but maybe it should be a real thing…. 💀

.

🪧 BRANDS

Speedo USA has a new series that feels a lot like The Office… 🏢

@speedousa

“Boy, have you lost your mind, ‘cause I’ll help you find it!” - Stanley Hudson We might have to hold off on the alligator… what do you t... See more

Also:

• Should brands be so online? Nutter Butter's extreme social persona speaks to changing brand dynamics

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📲 HOT NEW APP

Pie Social is the latest app to trying to make it easier to maker friends. It’s currently being tested in Chicago…

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🙊 WHAT DID YOU SAY?!

“…All I can do apologize and promise never to do anything close to that stupid again. That's a terrible example to set and I'm sorry for it…”

– Tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee (AKA MKBHD) apologises for driving way over the speed limit in a recent video.

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📺 MUST WATCH

Ever wondered how Donald Trump composes his unique style of social media posts?

This new video reveals all…

Also:

• Saturday Night Live’s Elon Musk impression split viewers’ opinions

.

👀 MY FAV READS

“Once a niche site for internet obsessives, it's become everyone's favorite digital hangout. Reddit lovers and noobs are flocking to the site, thanks in part to the Google gods.”

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🪦 RIP

Social media features heading for the graveyard:

This is worth knowing. Facebook has removed the option to have public followers on your personal profile as of yesterday:

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😮 WTF?!

“A $45 ‘mystery toilet’ could be on the top of Gen Alpha's wish list. It's part of a trend of very online IP, like Skibidi, being turned into toys.”

Also:

• Facebook's algorithms think a small English community is up to no good

• Mark Zuckerberg just dropped a single with T-Pain

• Telegram's Pavel Durov offers free IVF—but you've got to use his sperm

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👌 PRO TIPS

Bluesky is really popping off, mostly thanks to Elon Musk. 💥

Here’s a great post featuring top tools, tips, and tricks for getting started on Bluesky

Even more pro-tips:

• Instagram says it doesn’t downrank posts labelled ‘Paid Partnership’ - so now you know

• LinkedIn has published a handy one-page guide to video best practices

• TikTok has published a sports marketing guide

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👔 YOU’RE HIRED!

Hot new social media jobs worth checking out this week:

• Yahoo! Sports wants a Social Media Editor: NFL Lead [USA]

• The Browser Company (maker of the Arc browser) is hiring Social Media Manager [New York City or remote, USA]

• The University of Bristol is looking for a Senior Marketing Officer (Social Media) [Bristol, UK]

• The National Trust needs a Social Media Community Executive [Multiple locations, UK]

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📊 SOCIAL STATS

80%

– The percentage of US teens who use social media and say they see content about conspiracy theories in their online feeds. 20% see conspiracy content every day

• Gen-Z: The most downloaded apps in 2024 by Gen Z in the U.S.
  TikTok is in second place next to Temu with 33.23 million downloads

• Snapchat: 67% of consumers watch video on their small screen daily, compared to 50% who watch on their big screen

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📈 CHARTED

Which social platforms are most popular in the US in 2024? 📈

Pew Research published its latest social media factsheet with the latest stats:

• Threads gained 75 millón users in Q3, boosting its total by 38%

• The most important metrics for measuring the performance of video content

• What does good video performance look like?

• 4 charts tracking the rise of social commerce in 2024

• X, Threads. and Bluesky usage is all on the rise

• How Elon Musk's X won the attention war in America

  … But X also saw the largest user exodus since Musk takeover

• The rapid rise and fall of the metaverse

• The victorious Trump campaign spent far less on social media than in 2020

.

• Meta Horizon Worlds has been taken over by children since the platform lowered its age restrictions. [Wired $$$]

• Threads is overrun with Liberal conspiracy theories. [User Mag]

• Meta is updating its terms of service with clarified wording around misuse. [Social Media Today]

• Meta is working is working with US and UK universities to test VR in education. [TechCrunch]

• Meta has beaten a lawsuit over a tool that lets Facebook users unfollow everything. [Engadget]

• Meta says app stores should police Australia’s under-16 social media ban. [Bloomberg $$$]

• Meta will appeal an order letting US schools and states sue over addiction. [Bloomberg $$$]

New features and tests:

Facebook:

• Facebook now lets you quickly share a story on Instagram by tapping an Instagram logo. [@oncescuradu]

• Facebook now lets you share comment replies from Pages to Stories. [@theahmedghanem]

Instagram:

• Instagram now lets you control who can share or interact with your avatar. [@theahmedghanem]

• Instagram now lets you access Insights from the long-press menu on any post. [@theahmedghanem]

• Instagram now lets you choose whether your content can be featured on Meta products or not. [@theahmedghanem]

• Instagram has a new inline ‘profile peek’ in Stories. [@faslu_35]

• Instagram now lets you edit your profile directly from your profile card. [@theahmedghanem]

• Instagram is testing a new “People you follow” filter for DMs. [@oncescuradu]

• Instagram is working on the ability to quickly see the groups you have in common with someone in the chat profile section. [@alex193a]

• Instagram is now showing Story Highlights in the normal Stories section. [Lindsey Gamble]

• Instagram is testing a new feature that allows businesses to interact with content where you’ve tagged them. [@theahmedghanem]

• Instagram now shows your videos with the most views in the professional dashboard. [@ihammod_oh]

• Instagram appears to have added a hyperlink feature to Facebook profiles. [@jaskaransainiz]

Threads:

• Threads is testing a floating action button to access to post composer on iOS. [@oncescuradu]

• Threads now tells you if the OP liked a comment on their post. [@haiimjose]

WhatsApp:

• WhatsApp has added a “Forwarded Many Times” section under Storage Management, which filters messages that have been frequently forwarded. [@theahmedghanem]

• WhatsApp is working on a sticker feature to introduce prompts through status updates. [@WABetaInfo]

• WhatsApp is working on new themed icons for contacts and group chats. [@WABetaInfo]

• WhatsApp is testing the ability to share Channels via QR codes. [@oncescuradu]

• WhatsApp now lets you easily create and reorder lists. [@theahmedghanem]

• The rest: Creator Studio / Adtech / Quest and more:

• Meta has added paid clothing options for avatars from partner brands. [@theahmedghanem]

• Meta has released a new ad creative creation sheet with enhanced features and an updated UI. [@theahmedghanem]

.

New features and tests:

• X now lets you sign up for Verified Organisations in the app. [@jonahmanzano]

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• TikTok courted conservatives before the election in a bid to appeal more politically balanced. [The Information $$$]

• Amazon has been questioned by House committee over its “dangerous” TikTok deal. [CNBC]

• TikTok users want to know who their favourite influencers voted for in the election. [Fast Company]

• TikTok’s new "Veteran Voices" initiative commits $1,000,000 for 10 non-profits dedicated to supporting veterans and their families. [TikTok Newsroom]

New features and tests:

• TikTok now shows a leaderboard of Live creators in TikTok Studio. [@theahmedghanem]

• TikTok now has a preview button for thumbnails. [Lindsey Gamble]

• TikTok has added new and more dynamic playback settings for videos. [@oncescuradu]

• TikTok has added a link sticker feature that can be added to photos or videos. [@jonahmanzano]

• TikTok has a new Inspiration section in Creator Studio on desktop. [@yassermasood]

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💥 EVEN MORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS & UPDATES

• Discord leaker Jack Teixeira got a 15-year sentence for sharing classified documents. [Engadget]

• UK regulator Ofcom has warned tech companies after chatbots imitated Brianna Ghey and Molly Russell. [The Guardian]

• Vietnam has ordered social media companies to provide user identities. [Bloomberg $$$]

• Australia will require social media platforms to act to prevent harm. [NPR]

• YouTube’s hyperlinked comments could drive valuable traffic for Google Search. [TubeFilter]

• YouTube Premium’s legacy price breaks are going away for more users. [The Verge]

• Snap has shared an update on its social good initiatives. [Social Media Today]

New features and tests:

• YouTube now lets you view Shorts in fullscreen on desktop. [@oncescuradu]

• YouTube Studio now lets you ‘Connect with your community’. [@jonahmanzano]

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📰 WEEKEND READS

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

• How making money as an influencer has changed in a decade

• How The New York Times beat the algorithm and became Facebook’s top publisher

• How Harris won at TikTok but lost the election

• Pro-Harris TikTok felt safe in an algorithmic bubble — until Election Day

• How Will Trump’s second term impact social media companies?

• “I was moderating hundreds of horrific and traumatising videos”

• How weight loss drugs took over Instagram

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😳 AND FINALLY…

Get ready for a whole new bunch of emoji to work into your social posts. The draft list of new additions for the end of next year is here!

“These possible new emojis include a distorted smiley face, an orca, a treasure chest, several ballet dancers, and a Big Foot-inspired ‘hairy creature’.”

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📅 BACK NEXT WEEK…

You made it to the end of this week’s Geekout.

Very few make it this far, but you nailed it! 👊

__________

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500+ members get the latest social media news updates in real-time, exclusive private chat channels with top social media managers, and invites to hot new social apps before anyone else.

Grab your unique URL below and SHARE it in work Slack channels, emails, or on your social channels to earn your FREE Geekout Pro Access Pass.

__________

Alrighty… I’m heading off to celebrate my… 45th!!!… birthday.

I hope someone bought me botox and a bottle of ‘Just for Men’. 👨🏻‍🦳

Goodbye, geeks!

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