Hello, geeks!

It’s been a week full of controversy (Hootsuite), clap-backs (Ryanair vs Elon Musk), and conclusions (TikTok’s US deal).

This week’s main characters include: Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary, Elon Musk, and of course, Victoria + Brooklyn Beckham.

To kick things off…

Hootsuite’s hellweek

Pour one out for Hootsuite’s social media team. They’re dealing with a shitstorm of backlash after it was revealed the company has controversially struck a deal with U.S immigration services (ICE).

Reactions to the news from top social media industry pros has been brutal on LinkedIn. Some are urging people to boycott using the company’s tools.

Hootsuite frequently leans on influential social media professionals to promote its products and industry reports. With this latest controversy hanging in the air, securing future collabs is going to be tricky.

We’re going to dig into both these stories in a moment, plus:

  • TikTok’s US Deal with China is finally done, but what happens next?

  • Why a UK teen social media ban looks set to become a reality

  • How RyanAir’s CEO gave the world a masterclass in trolling Elon Musk

  • Why Instagram is testing a new definition of ‘Friends’

  • The most savage Victoria Beckham wedding dance memes

  • 30+ new Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, X features spotted in the wild.

Let’s go! 👇

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🔥 GEEKOUT HOT 5

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

TikTok closes deal to split US app from global business

The app was due to be banned in the US a year ago if its Chinese owner didn't sell its business in America.

  1. UK launched consultation on a social media ban for under 16s [DEBATING]

  2. Ryanair boss thanked Elon Musk for 'boost' in ticket sales after online row [TROLLING]

  3. FTC appealed ruling in Meta antitrust case over Instagram and WhatsApp deals [APPEALING]

  4. TikTok quietly launched a dedicated app for microdramas in the US and Brazil [APP-EALING]

🚨 EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT

Will the UK follow Australia with a teen social ban?

How quickly could the UK ban teenagers from social media?

Love it or loathe it, Australia’s idea is spreading around the world. And this week, talk has rapidly accelerated about the possibility of the UK introducing a social media ban for under 16s.

The pressure is on to do this quickly. After the recent Grok scandal brought the issue to front of mind, the government announced a consultation on the possibility of the ban (here’s a reminder of what that entails).

More than 60 Labour MPs urged Starmer to back the ban and names like Hugh Grant signed a letter urging the policy.

But a consultation would take as long as a year before legislation could be considered. The opposition Conservative party want Starmer to go faster, and they might get their wish.

The House of Lords has backed a ban - meaning it could possibly happen far more quickly.

But ‘act in haste, repent at leisure’ is a phrase the government should keep in mind. Labour peer Harriet Harman has branded the government’s social media plan a “shambles” lacking coherent legislative coordination.

Other voices are against the idea. The Liberal Democrats propose film-style age ratings for social media apps instead, for example.

Meanwhile, Meta’s position on all this is pretty clear. This week it blasted teen safety lawsuits as cherry-picked narratives that distort realities of teen well-being. It says it regulates itself by launching protections like suicide tools, Teen Accounts, AI guardrails, and the like.

So expect pushback in the UK as there was in Australia. And with tech companies’ access to UK ministers dwarfing that of child safety groups, they’ll certainly get a chance to put their case across.

When it comes down to it, if social media truly is harmful to under 16s, a ban makes sense. But the science is FAR from conclusive. Some recent research suggests the panic could all be overblown.

And with kids kept indoors far more than they used to be in the past, social media is the only social life some of them have. What harm will taking it away do to them in the long run?

Perhaps testing that before introducing a kneejerk ban to get a boost in the polls might be the best idea?

✨ NEW & NOTEWORTHY

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

Meta   Meta  /  Facebook  Facebook

Facebook’s refreshed design for profiles

  • Facebook has tweaked the design for public profiles featuring a posts count. You can also now display your interests, promo links, and a link to your media kit

  • Meta has been accused of routinely overlooking ads from unlicensed gambling operators on Facebook and Instagram

  • Meta has asked its Oversight Board to establish definitive rules for permanently banning public figures

  • Meta's new AI team delivered its first key models internally this month, CTO Andrew ‘Boz’ Bosworth says

  • Facebook Live now lets you boost your live videos for greater reach

  • Facebook is testing a new way to view Stories by pulling down on the screen to reveal them (it’s annoying)

  • Facebook is testing moving the settings menu to the left side of the header near the app logo

__________

Instagram  Instagram

Instagram testing ‘Friends’ count on profiles | Credit: @oncescuradu

__________

 Threads  Threads

Threads’ testing new in-app browser | Credit: @oncescuradu

  • Threads is following X’s lead with an updated in-app browser on iOS. When tapping a link in a post, the new browser keeps the original post and engagement buttons visible.

  • Threads is rolling out ads worldwide. Ad formats available include 4:5 aspect ratio, carousel format, Advantage+ catalog and app ads

  • Threads is now more popular than X on mobile, but X still dominates on the web.

  • Threads might show a clever ‘edit your post to make it better for Threads’ prompt when you cross-post from Instagram

  • Threads may soon let you add animated stickers to your posts

  • Threads has added a new animated effect to the posting progress bar

__________

 WhatsApp  WhatsApp

WhatsApp testing Facebook-style cover images for profiles | Credit: WABetaInfo

  • WhatsApp is testing Facebook-style cover photos to personalize user profiles

  • WhatsApp has started notifying users that ads are coming to Status and Channels, as previously announced

  • WhatsApp on the web will finally get voice and video call support for group chats

  • WhatsApp is testing replacing Tenor with the Klipy as the app’s GIF provider

  • WhatsApp is testing an easier way to join the app’s beta programme

__________

X / Twitter  X (Twitter)

X’s new Bluesky-like ‘Starter Packs’ launched | Credit: X

  • X has copied Bluesky with a ‘Starter Packs’ feature that helps you find top accounts to follow in various niches

  • X has publicly released its ranking algorithm, revealing how posts surface, spread, and earn momentum across the feed

    …but Elon says “it sucks” as X’s updated algorithm is reportedly flooding user’s feeds with irrelevant junk

  • California’s AG ordered xAI to halt deepfake and CSAM generation immediately

  • X’s XChat can now be installed as a standalone web app

  • X’s XChat has new message organisation options

  • X is experimenting with paid promotion tags in-stream

  • X has launched a $1 million contest to lure writers into posting long-form articles. But it will likely reward the wrong sort of creators.

  • X has added a new section in the feed that prompts users to revisit their saved bookmarks.

  • X’s Grok is still accessible in Malaysia and Indonesia despite a ban as VPNs let users straight in

__________

TikTok  TikTok

TikTok’s new ‘Streaming Ads’ launched | Credit: TikTok

__________

YouTube  YouTube

BBC confirm landmark content deal with YouTube | Credit: BBC / YouTube

  • The BBC has confirmed its landmark YouTube deal, including new channels for kids and young adults, and Winter Olympics coverage

  • YouTube is redesigning mobile video management to reduce clutter. ‘Manage videos’ is removed, with ‘Your videos’ now the main hub.

  • YouTube TV will launch custom multiview and channel packages ‘soon’

  • ICYMI: YouTube subtly changed its iconic red brand colour, to a softer shade, last year. Technical issues, screen burn-in, and harshness of the previous red drove the update.

    …YouTube’s icons also got a dynamic upgrade.

__________

Snapchat  Snapchat  /  LinkedIn  LinkedIn  /  Substack  Substack

Snapchat rolling out upgraded Family Center parental tools | Credit: Snap

  • Snapchat upgraded its Family Center tools, enabling parents to view how long their child spends using different parts of the app. Parent’s will also be able to view additional details about the friends they add

  • Snapchat is replacing ‘Crystals’ with creator rewards displayed directly in US dollars

  • Snap has unexpectedly settled a major teen addiction case just days before trial. Snap CEO Evan Spiegal will now no longer have to testify in front of a jury.

  • Substack launched a beta TV app for Apple TV and Google TV, extending creator video to living rooms.

  • LinkedIn now lets you search for jobs by describing the job you want

  • CapCut is introducing Tasks that allow users to earn free credits by completing them.

__________

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

Just head to the ‘More news’ section below!

🤖 SOCIAL AI

The newest social media AI features spotted this week:

Someone’s been taking ideas from OpenAI’s Sora… YouTube will soon let creators make Shorts using AI replicas of themselves.

YouTubers will be able to make Shorts with their own AI likenesses

Future Shorts might have AI-generated versions of your favorite creators. 

__________

Also spotted this week 👀

💬 YOU CAN QUOTE ME ON THAT

When I’m quoted in the news, you’ll find it here:

Elon Musk’s latest feud is an idiotic mudslinging match with a budget airline! 🍿

I spoke to The Washington Post about Ryanair’s latest social media stunt that generated headlines (and a 2-3% flight bookings boost!)…

💀 LOL

Instagram post

🔥 MEMES

It’s been a week for the Beckhams… again.

This week’s very public family feud drama on Instagram between Brooklyn Beckham and his parents was a force of intense meme energy.

And one of Brooklyn’s many accusations sparked the most wild meme responses… His Mum (Victoria Beckham) hijacking the first dance at his wedding with some very “inappropriate’ moves.

We might have already just witnessed the best memed moment of 2026…

💃🏻 😳 😵

The Memes About This One Wild Detail In The Beckham Family Drama Are So Good

@crochetwithjojox

This is all I can picture #fyp #beckham #victoriabeckham #Meme #MemeCut

Find many more Beckham memes here, here, and here.

🌡️ VIRAL

TikTok's new deeply silly trend is… impersonating owls.

TikTok’s newest absurdist obsession features creators delivering wildly hyper-specific owl impressions.

Celebrity-styled hoots include Jennifer Coolidge, Shakira-hip owls, and Drag Race backstage birds.

The #owl tag has been used on over 561,000 videos as the trend soars like an owl that has just plucked a mouse from the ground.

TikTok's new deeply silly trend? Impersonating owls.

__________

Also going viral this week: 🔥

🪧 BRANDS

Most brands would quiver in fear if Elon Musk trained his bile on them, but Ryanair is no ordinary brand.

We had a few days of insults being flung between Musk and airline boss Michael O’Leary, after Ryanair said it would not add Starlink-powered wifi to its planes as it was too expensive and passengers wouldn’t pay….

Musk said he wanted to buy Ryanair and let someone called Ryan run it…

And then the airline ramped up the trolling way beyond X posts and got a day of good PR as a reward…

Why is Ryanair fighting with Elon Musk?

__________

More brand news this week:

🙊 WHAT DID YOU SAY?!

"Yes, the algorithm sucks"

– Elon Musk isn’t a fan of X’s current algorithm. Well, you’re the boss, Elon…

__________

Also overheard this week: 👂

  • “The rise of AI has raised concerns about low-quality content, aka ‘AI slop.’ As an open platform, we allow for a broad range of free expression while ensuring YouTube remains a place where people feel good spending their time…. But with this openness comes a responsibility to maintain the high quality viewing experience that people want.”

    – YouTube CEO Neal Mohan on balancing the competing pressures on a video platform in the AI age

  • “We’re still continuing to invest heavily in this space, but obviously, VR is growing less quickly than we hoped”

    – Meta CTO Andrew ‘Boz’ Bosworth on the company’s downsizing at Reality Labs

  • "Meta heavily subsidizing their own (with money, marketing, placement, etc) at the expense of core technical progress and platform stability doesn't make sense… Crowding out the rest of the entire ecosystem, even less so."

    – Oculus founder Palmer Luckey thinks Meta made a mess of his creation

  • “We must start a proper dialogue with social media companies about the ways their platforms are being used to spread lies from abroad and undermine our democracy. And we need to do it urgently,”

    -

    – Emily Thornberry, Labour chair of the UK foreign affairs select committee, wants to get tough on disinformation in UK politics

  • "I do not."

    -

    – Reddit co-founder (and new Digg co-founder) Alexis Ohanian uses just three words to answer an AMA question about whether he misses running Reddit

📲 NEW APP

This handy new app from Signal’s founder is worth a look if you’re worried about who might be listening in to your chats with AI…

Worried about AI privacy? This new tool from Signal's founder adds end-to-end encryption to your chats

😮 WTF?!

Spare a thought for Hootsuite’s social media team this week…

The company has been revealed to be providing “social listening” services to US Homeland Security.

And given the behaviour of ICE agents across the US, and particularly in Minnesota lately, a big chunk of the public is NOT happy with Hootsuite.

Do a search for Hootsuite + ICE on X, Bluesky, or Threads to see what the people at the frontline on the company’s social media have to deal with.

Six years ago, Hootsuite cancelled an ICE contract amid public blowback. In 2026, cancelling would likely generate just as much blowback as accepting the contract, from the other side 😬

Hootsuite could receive up to $2.8 million USD for contract with US immigration enforcement

__________

Also WTF this week: 👀

🤦‍♂️ FAIL

Disney deleted a Threads post because people kept replying with anti-fascist quotes from its movies.

Kind of waters down the messages of the movies, if the company doesn’t stand by them!

Disney deleted a Thread because people kept putting anti-fascist quotes from its movies in the replies

_________

Also this week:

  • YouTube removed support for popular SRV3 caption tools - apparently due to bugs. There is no news on a fix.

👔 YOU’RE HIRED!

Hot new social media jobs worth checking out this week:

Lloyds Banking Group is hiring a Social Media Lead [Multiple locations, UK]

__________

More top social media jobs spotted this week 💼

👌 PRO TIPS

What works to drive sales on TikTok Shop has changed: reuse proven formats, re-push converting products, and depend heavily on bundles.

Top TikTok Shop creators have shared what is driving millions of $’s in sales on the platform in 2026…

What works to drive sales on TikTok Shop has changed, creators say

📊 SOCIAL STATS

1 MILLION+

– The number of YouTube channels using AI tools daily, according to the platform

__________

Even more social stats: 📈

  • REEL ADS: More than half of all ads on Instagram ran in Reels in 2025, up from 35% in 2024

  • REEL TIME: US users spent 46% of Instagram time on Reels in 2025

  • CREATOR GAP: Creator income inequality is rising as top influencers rake in big paydays from brands. The top 1% earn 21% of payments, up from 15% in 2023

  • NO AI PLEASE: 36% of consumers say AI-generated brand videos lower overall brand perception.

📈 CHARTED

This week saw news that Meta’s plucky Twitter rival Threads is now solidly in the lead over X when it comes to mobile app usage. X still leads on the web, though.

How Threads overtook Elon’s X on mobile…

__________

Even more social charts: 📈

  • TOP OF THE GROKS: How Grok image generation surged amid the scandal this month

  • TIKTOP: Sensor Tower’s State of Mobile 2026 report reveals TikTok dominating while AI apps surged

  • I KNOW YOU WANT IT: The blurred lines between how people use job search apps and dating apps

  • NOT SOARING: How OpenAI’s Sora app downloads have plateaued

  • RISE OF THE BOTS: Growth in generative AI charted

💥 EVEN MORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS & UPDATES

Meta Seeks to Bar Mentions of Mental Health—and Zuckerberg’s Harvard Past—From Child Safety Trial

The trial starts soon in New Mexico’s case against Meta—and the company is pulling out all the stops to protect its reputation.

_________

Also this week… 🚨

  • The EU is accelerating efforts to ban nudification tools after Grok flooded X with intimate deepfakes. [Politico]

  • Experts warn of threat to democracy from ‘AI bot swarms’ infesting social media [The Guardian]

  • Meta has unveiled AI Glasses Impact Grants to support organisations applying wearables for societal benefit. [Meta Newsroom]

  • Pinterest is reportedly launching a shoppable TV partnership with streaming platform Roku. [PYMNTS]

  • Fortnite has blocked creators from selling prize wheel spins. [The Verge]

  • US Senate Democrats host first creator summit on 11 February at the US Capitol to strengthen their digital strategy. [Scalable]

  • Malaysia could tighten social media laws after the Grok scandal this month. [The Straits Times]

New features and updates:

  • Instagram now lets Android users add a camera shortcut in the lockscreen. [@oncescuradu]

  • TikTok has been spotted offering an accessibility feature for photo posts that highlights the ‘last read’ words from the description. [@oncescuradu]

  • Netflix is testing a TikTok-style vertical video feed on mobile. [The Hollywood Reporter]

  • Clubhouse has launched a Plus subscription plan with additional paid features for people who seemingly still use the app. [@theahmedghanem]

📰 WEEKEND READS

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

The nostalgic throwback 2016 viral trend has left many people confused…

For a year that many regard as not especially memorable, why are so many people viewing it as such a pivotal year?

TechCrunch’s Amanda Silberling has some answers…

“At the time, people felt like 2016 was cursed — but at least we did not yet have a word for ‘doomscrolling.’”

We're not nostalgic for 2016 — we're nostalgic for the internet before all the slop

__________

More great weekend reads:

😳 AND FINALLY…

Oh lord… Elon Musk’s xAI is testing AI “human emulators”…

They are convincing enough that coworkers are mistaking them for real employees, as The Information reports.

And they’ve created as many problems as they have solved.

If this is the future of AI, I’ll stick with the humans 🫠

📅 BACK NEXT WEEK…

That’s a wrap on this week’s edition of Geekout.

But before you go….

Geekout Newsletter’s website has had a glow-up…

The update adds a refreshed design, with new Advertise, About Geekout, and Archive pages.

A big thanks to Geekout friend and top web designer Ryan Downie, who has been working on it over the Christmas break.

Check out the NEW Geekout homepage.

Next up: A mini-makeover of the newsletter itself.

The goal is to make subtle changes that improve readability…

…With a few fun added design touches to give it some polish.

__________

Alrighty… I’m heading off to practice my Victoria Beckham-style moves for an upcoming family birthday party.

@big_badge

deffo going some at her sons wedding #victoriabeckham #dancing #weddingvibes #meme #parentsontiktok

Goodbye, geeks!

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

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