Twitter shares the wealth… But how long will it last?

Hello, geeks…

Welcome to my pre-summer vacation edition of Geekout (I’m counting down the days!)

Kicking things off this week… This will give you nightmares 😱 (i’m so sorry! 😀)

And a quick bit of BREAKING Threads news…

…Whilst we’re on the topic of Threads, things could have got real awkward earlier this week if I hated Threads. Zuck’s sister Randi Zuckerberg invited me on her U.S. radio show to talk about her brother’s shiny new thing. Might have been tricky saying “yeah, so, Mark’s new thing sucks!”

I should have asked if she could give Mark a nudge about these super-pointless new Facebook notifications. Is it just me, or are they driving you insane as well?

And in random WTF news…

This headline REALLY needs a comma 😆

DON’T MISS…

Did you miss my Social Decoded event? I got you!

Earlier this week, I joined the experts at Emplifi to host my FREE Social Decoded event.

I gave my thoughts and insights on all hot topics in social media right now… Threads, Metaverse, A.I., The Creator Economy, Twitter’s meltdown… And more.

I revealed my top social media career tips, including advice on how to build your own personal brand (like Geekout).

… And we announced the winners of 10 x Geekout PRO 1-year subscriptions!

📺 WATCH the Replay (Free!)

Ok folks… Let’s get into it. You know the drill. Here are the hottest headlines in social this week:

🔥 GEEKOUT HOT 5

1. Twitter Starts Sharing Ad Revenue With Creators [SHOW ME THE MONEY]

2. Threads Engagement Dips But Threat to Twitter Still Real [UNDER PRESSURE]

3. Twitter Blocks Threads Links Amidst Reports of Traffic Drop [TH-RED ALERT]

4. Twitter Backtrack on Removal of Old TweetDeck [IT’S BACK!]

5. Meta Exec Says “Metaverse Hype is Dead” And He Is Happy [OVERHYPED]

A long list of hot new social media platform features were spotted in the wild this week. Here’s a speedy rundown of the ones you’ll want to know about:

Meta / Facebook

Meta is now offering a Meta Verified combo-discount deal … Meta announced a bunch of new avatar features across all its platforms. New features include the ability to call friends using your avatar on Instagram and Messenger.

Instagram / WhatsApp

Instagram added a new shared activity feature … Instagram is working on a ‘Social channel’ feature (basically, group chats?!) … Instagram started testing auto-adding product tags in brand story posts … Instagram is also working on a new sharing option for stories: ‘Friends story’ … WhatsApp may soon let you keep your mobile number private in WA community chats.

🔥 JOIN GEEKOUT PRO: Real-Time News Alerts, Exclusive Bluesky / Spill / T2 Beta Invites, Members-Only WhatsApp Chat Channel + More [JOIN 700+ MEMBERS]

Twitter

Twitter got endorsed by a terrorist organisation (congrats, Elon) … Twitter admitted it has a verified DM spam problem (and it has a fix) … Twitter also has a new List spam issue … Elon is trying to sue Twitter data scrapers … Twitter will soon let users hide their Twitter Blue check mark (the shame) … Twitter Blue subscribers got a new perk … Twitter also rolled out a suite of new video playback features … And Twitter is testing voice and video calls in DMs.

TikTok / Snapchat

TikTok now lets you comment with photo … TikTok started testing a new ‘Hot 50’ viral music chart feature … TikTok was spotted testing a new ‘Shop’ feed in Europe … Snapchat added a Linktree integration … And Snapchat users spotted a new ‘Magic Eraser’ tool.

Tumblr / Discord

Tumblr revealed it’s losing $30m a year (ouch!) … Discord banned teen dating servers, sharing of AI generated CSAM, and added new parental control features

DID YOU SEE… 👀

• 😍 EMOJIS I: 10 Most Viral Emoji-Related Moments in History [CHECK THEM OUT]

• 🆕 EMOJIS II: The New Emojis Coming in 2024 [PICK YOUR NEW FAV]

• 💼 PRO-TIPS: Social Media Manager Legal FAQs Answered [ARE YOU GUILTY?]

• ✨ CAREERS: The 5 Healthy Habits of Top Social Media Managers [REVEAL HABITS]

Right… Let's dig into the biggest stories of the week. Geekout analysis coming up next. 👇

– Matt

🚨 Everyone's talking about...

Wow. 100 Million Members in just five days (including some Twitter employees!) is impressive growth. And with the EU not on board yet and the marketing taps not even really switched on, Threads has plenty of room to grow.

The scale of app’s initial success has been a surprise at both Meta and Twitter. But the need for a less messy chaotic version of Twitter shouldn’t really be much of a shock.

Brands have been piling on board, and finding they get more engagement than on Twitter, even if they’re sometimes just recycling old tweets.

Some journalists are moving over too. That’s despite Adam Mosseri saying Threads won’t lean into news as a focus for the app, and the current lack of a real-time feed makes it far from ideal for sharing news anyway.

Meanwhile, fake Threads followers already for sale, and a fake version of the app has been pulled from the App Store after it topped the charts.

And John Cena has brought his sneaky follow-hacking trick over to Threads. The app’s clever flourish of a hidden following list, making people worry less about following more accounts than follow them, make this audience-building hack less obvious than it is on Twitter.

Yes, Threads is in demand and having a honeymoon period. The cold hard commercial reality of ads on the platform is still months away, even if Meta sales reps are already pitching Threads ads. In the meantime, it seems branded content tools are on their way, so enjoy this current period while it lasts.

It’s worth remembering that huge signups for an app that got massive media coverage on launch day, and is easy to sign up to if you’re already on Instagram, is the easy bit for Meta.

There are already signs that engagement on the app is dropping (not a surprise given many users will sign up for a look around and never open it again). Monthly active users (MAU) is the metric to watch, and we won’t have a true picture of Threads’ true popularity for a few months yet.

In the meantime, not everyone convinced by Threads’ pledge to focus on ‘kindness’. Meta already backtracked on a warning about accounts that spread disinformation. How some of Twitter’s most toxic users try to use Threads will be a real test for Mosseri and his team.

And while some of us enjoy this honeymoon period with a new platform, we shouldn’t forget all of Meta’s past crimes and misdemeanours. How might the company trip up with Threads?

And there’s always a chance it could become Meta’s Google+ 😬 

Ultimately though, I think Threads will be a decent-sized success but not quite enough to topple Twitter. There’s a good chance you’ll still need to use both apps. Dammit.

With traffic seemingly tanking, Twitter is losing its place as the world’s town square. Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon and, I don’t know, just logging off entirely are all increasingly appealing as Elon Musk’s bird app continues to flail.

In an attempt inject some excitement, Twitter yesterday launched its ad revenue sharing programme.

Users who subscribe to Twitter Blue and have generated more than 5 million tweet impressions each month for the last three months can join, but yesterday’s payments went out to a seemingly ad hoc bunch of creators rather than all who are eligible (where’s my payment, Elon?).

Not all the people who got paid were Elon stans or far-right figures, but many were. Any platform that pays $20,000 to Andrew Tate, given the criminal charges he faces, has some serious questions to ask itself about the kind of behaviour it wants to be connected with.

Then there’s the question of whether these numbers really add up. How much of a loss is Twitter making on these payouts, and why?

Things look increasingly precarious for Twitter. CEO Linda Yaccarino talks a big game but it’s unconvincing. Sure, Twitter might really be seeing its best usage since February, but that’s not really a big window of time is it?

Meanwhile, the app seems more glitchy, recent big signup Tucker Carlson’s show’s views are tanking, links to Threads are being blocked making Twitter look insecure, and Musk is out there talking about dick measuring contests. Mature stuff.

At least Twitter’s still got the Taliban, eh?

On the plus side, they’ve brought back old TweetDeck (thank you!), but no amount of pleasing users can likely stop it eating Musk up inside that all his missteps are making Zuck cool again.

😆 LOL tweets

Also:

• Funny Threads memes

• Instagram ‘literally follow’

• Inside the Twitter office this week

📈 Gone viral

This is well worth a read, and it’s something to show your boss if your community takes your brand in an unexpected direction in the future 👇

🪧 Brand social

“What makes this great social media campaign even better is that Wendy's has really committed to this persona—they've kept this up for years. Now, THAT'S what I call being dedicated to your art!”

But while Wendy’s does it well, the ‘unhinged social media manager’ trope is getting a bit tired. And watch out: Monzo’s Richard Cook thinks things are only going to become more unhinged this year.

🎧 Must-listen

…and speaking of unhinged, Ryanair is perhaps the wildest brand social persona of all. I got a question in at the end of this excellent podcast 👇

👀 Must-reads

This is the best autopsy of Twitter's slow death. Well worth a read:

Also:

• Where Threads fits into the social media map

• Twitter is fragmenting

• What if the next big social media app is ... nothing?

💬 You can quote me on that

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

I spoke to Sky News about about my first week on Threads ...and explained why it can't kill Twitter just yet.

Also:

• I spoke to Vogue Business about Threads’ potential for fickle fashion brands

• I told the Daily Upside about the content filling Threads feeds in week one

• I shared some thoughts about what Threads means for journalists, for journalism.co.uk

• I also talked Threads on the Media Mix podcast

• And again on the Economic Times’ Morning Brief podcast (this is a fun one!)

🙈 Faking it

All is not as it seems:

Oh look, another TikTok hoax:

Also:

• A fake Instagram Threads app was removed from App Store after it topped the charts

• Influencers can already buy fake followers for Instagram's Threads

• A deepfake version of Martin Lewis has the UK consumer champion furious

😮 WTF?!

Having trouble getting to sleep by counting sheep? A terms of service document should do the trick…

And…

• TikTok plastic surgeon 'Dr. Roxy' lost her medical license for livestreaming procedures

🔎 New research

This is sure to get some people’s insecurity skyrocketing…

💡 New feature spotlight

File this one under: Finally!

📲 New app

This Instagram has become too much? Retro is the latest app to try going back to the photo-sharing roots many of us loved.

It comes from a team of former Meta employees and as TechCrunch’s Romain Dillet writes: “it feels like a deeply personal experience that has the potential to put a smile on your face — something that rarely happens on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter or YouTube.”

🪦 RIP

Social media features heading for the graveyard:

And:

• Twitter is ditching Circles in favour of improved Communities & DM group chat, Elon Musk says

• Meta has stopped supporting swipe-up links for Instagram via Business Suite

🧵 Top Twitter thread

Charlie Light shows how little impact going super-viral on Twitter can actually have:

🤖 A.I.-mazing

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

Meta wants to take on OpenAI and Google:

And…

• YouTube has added an A.I.-powered video title suggestions feature

• LinkedIn has expanded the “Ideas for your next posts” feature to work for profiles

💡 New feature spotlight

Clearly wanting to reduce payouts, Meta wants creators to “reinvest” their earnings into ads on Facebook.

📊 Social stats

🤔🤔🤔

📈 Charts of the week

Love them or hate them, 😂 and 🤣 top 2023’s emoji usage chart so far:

Also:

• The majority of Americans say TikTok is a threat to national security

• TikTok, YouTube and Netflix are the most entertaining media brands for adults in 2023

• Who are the first world leaders on Threads?

• The most downloaded apps in June 2023

• Meta has been singled out by UK financial lobby group over a high number of payment fraud scams. [Financial Times $$$]

• Social media researchers worry Meta won’t let them easily study Threads content. [Fast Company $$$]

• Meta's Nick Clegg has published an opinion piece calling for more openness around the development of A.I. [Financial Times $$$]

• Meta surveyed 6,000 people in 32 countries about the metaverse and it plans for a similar generative A.I. study. [Wired $$$]

• The US Department of Justice is facing calls to investigate tax sites for sharing user information with Meta. [The Verge]

• Meta is looking to counter EU antitrust allegations around Facebook Marketplace. [Bloomberg $$$]

• Meta didn't rush the Quest 3 because of Apple’s Vision Pro, Andrew ‘Boz’ Bosworth says. [Insider]

• Money saving expert Martin Lewis has warned about a deepfake video scam ad using his face on Facebook. [TechCrunch]

• Meta has updated its CBD ad policies. [Social Media Today]

• Meta has published its first Responsible Business Practices Report. [Meta Newsroom]

• Meta has hired the core team behind once chart-topping social app Poparazzi. [Insider $$$]

New features and tests:

Threads:

• Threads is working on a Following feed, post search, and an edit button. [Social Media Today]

• Threads now lets you expand profile images. [@MattNavarra]

• You can now join the beta version of Threads on Android. [Engadget]

• Threads continues to prepare for Fediverse integration. [@alex193a]

• Threads might introduce an ‘archive after 30 days’ option. [@howfxr]

Facebook:

• Facebook is launching the ability for creators to “reinvest” their earnings into ads on the platform. [@ahmedghanem]

Instagram:

• Instagram now offers a ‘See shared activity’ feature. [@thealicemoon]

• Instagram is testing Live Activities in its iPhone app to show upload progress in the background. [9to5Mac]

• Instagram appears to have blocked EU users from accessing Threads via a VPN. [@MattNavarra]

• Instagram is adding ‘Social Channels’ for group chats with your followers. [@avarma2006]

• Instagram is now showing Threads profile links on profiles on desktop. [@ahmedghanem]

• Instagram has been spotted automatically tagging products in Stories when it detects them. [@ahmedghanem]

• Instagram has added a new section called ‘Content from Creators Like You;’ to the Professional Dashboard. [@ahmedghanem]

• Instagram could soon let you add a highlight to feed posts. [@alex193a]

• Instagram is working on a ‘share to friend’s Story’ option. [@alex193a]

• Instagram has switched the DM inbox icon to the Messenger logo for more users. [@MattNavarra]

Messenger:

• Messenger and Instagram now let you join video calls with your Meta avatar. [Meta Newsroom]

WhatsApp:

• WhatsApp is testing chat filters. [WABetaInfo]

• WhatsApp is testing an alternate way to set up secondary devices, involving a verification code. [Android Police]

• WhatsApp is testing the ability to scroll to browse stickers on iOS. [@ahmedghanem]

• WhatsApp could soon introduce the ability to hide your phone number in Community chats. [Engadget]

The rest: Creator Studio/adtech/Quest and more:

• Meta is testing a cheaper bundle price for Meta Verified on both Facebook and Instagram. [Social Media Today]

• Meta avatars are getting new stickers and a ‘live selfie Avatar creation’ [Meta Newsroom]

• Meta has introduced a 'Super Resolution' feature for improved Quest visuals. [Road to VR]

• Roblox is coming to Meta Quest 2 And 3. [UploadVR]

• Meta has a new dataset will train speech recognition engines on 'clusters' of speakers. [Engadget]

• Twitter Blue accounts are fuelling misinformation about the Ukraine war. [BBC News]

• Twitter is taking action to fight a sharp increase in spam DMs. [@TwitterSupport]

• Elon Musk hosted a Twitter Space about A.I. after launching his new A.I. company. [Bloomberg $$$]

• The notorious Libs of TikTok account on Twitter was shadowbanned for publishing explicit pictures. [DailyDot]

• Twitter has been hit with a $500 million lawsuit over severance payments. [Variety]

• Twitter faces a legal challenge after failing to remove reported hate tweets in Germany. [The Guardian]

• Twitter has asked a court to terminate the company’s FTC settlement. [Wall Street Journal $$$]

• Twitter parent X Corp has sued data scrapers for “severely taxing” Twitter’s servers. It just doesn’t know who they are yet. [Ars Technica]

New features and tests:

• Twitter has launched its Creator Ads Revenue Sharing programme. [@Twitter]

• Twitter is testing voice and video calls in DMs. [Social Media Today]

• Twitter keeps working on the ability to hide your blue checkmark. [@alex193a]

• …and Twitter will soon let Blue subscribers hide their likes and subscriptions. [@MattNavarra]

• Twitter is adding new video features like screen mirroring picture-in-picture, playback speed controls, and 2-hour videos. [Social Media Today]

• Twitter Media Studio is now only for Blue subscribers. [Social Media Today]

• Twitter is still working on the ability to hide your Blue checkmark. [@alex193a]

• Twitter’s job listings feature looks close to launch. [Social Media Today]

• Twitter is working on a new tweet detail UI. [@ehikian]

• Twitter has moved the Spaces icon on iOS to the side nav menu to declutter the main nav bar. Blue subcribers can bring it back if they want. [@enriquebrgn]

• Twitter could soon add is a ‘Show Community Notes in mobile app navigation’ option. [@nima_owji]

• TikTok’s popularity isn’t waning despite security concerns. [Axios]

• TikTok has placed a full-page newspaper ads in the UK emphasising its commitment to teen safety. [@MattNavarra]

• TikTok is updating is terms of device in Europe to comply with the Digital Services Act. [@MattNavarra]

• TikTok content is coming to Redbox DVD kiosk screens in a new ad deal. [Hollywood Reporter]

• TikTok has kicked off a FIFA partnership ahead of 2023 Women's World Cup. [TubeFilter]

Insights to give you an edge at work:

• TikTok has launched a new report into gaming trends on its platform. [TikTok Newsroom]

New features and tests:

• TikTok will now let creators save their videos to their device without a watermark. [@jonah_manzano]

• TikTok has rolled out 'TikTok Shop for Creators’ to more users. [@ahmedghanem]

• TikTok is testing 'Hot 50' and 'Viral' song charts. [Insider $$$]

• TikTok is still working on a ‘post as template’ feature. [@oncescuradu]

• TikTok has added a ‘Shop’ feed. [@MattNavarra]

• TikTok has added a picture-in-picture toggle option. [@jonah_manzano]

• TikTok is testing the ability to comment with a photo. [@hammodoh1]

💥 More social media news and updates

• Snapchat’s push to tempt creators seems to be working. [Wall Street Journal $$$]

• TikTok and Snap didn't adequately moderate content during the France riots, EU commissioner Thierry Breton has said. [Bloomberg $$$]

• Tumblr is losing $30 million each year, its CEO says. [TechCrunch]

• The UK’s ever-changing Online Safety Bill could target algorithms that lead users to content like Andrew Tate’s videos. [BBC News]

• The EU has sealed a new transatlantic data transfer pact with the US, but it’s likely to be challenged in court like the previous ones. [Bloomberg $$$]

• A new Reddit app has found a workaround for the paid API, but there are some major drawbacks. [Android Police]

• One of Reddit’s biggest communities is suggesting users move to Discord. [The Verge]

• Civil rights groups have warned that limits on government contacts could be a boon for election lies ahead of ‘the biggest election year the internet age has seen’. [Washington Post $$$]

• The moderation team for r/pics on Reddit has invited John Oliver to join their ranks. [Mashable]

Insights to give you an edge at work:

• Reddit has published a guide to holiday campaign planning. [Social Media Today]

New features and tests:

• YouTube is running a poll for Premium subscribers about their top issues and complaints. [9to5Google]

• YouTube has added video title suggestions, and expanded user surveys to address systematic bias. [Social Media Today]

• LinkedIn has expanded the “Ideas for your next posts” feature to profiles. [@oncescuradu]

• Snapchat no integrates with Linktree to let users include links in their profiles. [TechCrunch]

• BeReal is testing a feature allowing users to pin up to three memories in their profile. [@ahmedghanem]

• Twitch is adding Stories and a Discovery Feed to boost offline community interaction. [Eurogamer]

• Discord has banned teen dating servers and the sharing of A.I.-generated CSAM. [Engadget]

• Discord is making it easier for parents to keep track of what their teens are up to in the app. [TechCrunch]

• T2 seems nearly ready to launch DMs. [@jonah_manzano]

• Capcut now has a dedicated tab on Android for TikTok Templates. [@oncescuradu]

• Apple has launched an online store on WeChat in China. [TechCrunch]

📖 Weekend reading

• Telegram has become a window into war

• Threads adopting ActivityPub makes sense, but won’t be easy

• Mark Zuckerberg hides his kids' faces on social media, and tech experts say you should do the same

• Lessons from the catastrophic failure of the metaverse

😳 And finally...

Watch out Elon, Zuck and his very hard-looking mates are ready…

📅 Back next week...

… Congrats! You’ve reached the end of this week’s Geekout. 🎉🍾

Sadly, there is no prize. But chalk it up as an achievement if you’ve had a s**t week! 😁

–

📣 QUICK REMINDER…

Geekout is taking a break for the NEXT TWO WEEKS. Family vacation time 🏖️

This means there will be NO Geekout Newsletter on Friday 21 July + Friday 28 July. BUT I will be back in your inbox on Friday 4 August.

–

I’m off to see if Meta has pivoted Threads yet. (follow me there). 🧵

Goodbye geeks!

– Matt

_______

This newsletter is edited by Martin SFP Bryant