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- Australia drops ban hammer on teens’ social fun
Australia drops ban hammer on teens’ social fun
...And Reddit rockets ahead of X in the UK 🚀
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Hello, geeks!
Welcome to your (almost) 100% human-written edition of Geekout.
Unlike most LinkedIn posts!. More on that in a moment.
Before we get into it…
This 2025 Social Media Trends report is solid and worth downloading now.
Side note: Check out the end of this week’s Geekout… I need your urgent advice on something 😱
__________
LinkedIn’s AI Slopfest 🤖
According to a new report, nearly half of viral LinkedIn posts are probably AI-generated.
Social media managers surprised: 0
Sure, fully AI-generated posts are still pretty easy to spot (and, let’s face it, pure slop). But what really grinds my gears? The flood of cringe-worthy, robotic AI comments on my posts. They’re not just pointless—they’re painful.
And yet, LinkedIn’s algorithm—or its users—seem to love them, encouraging so-called “LinkedIn thought leaders” to churn out even more of this nonsense.
So, what did I do? I embraced the chaos. This week, I posted my own “deep, insightful” thought-leadership gems—crafted entirely by AI. 😁
Even though I clearly disclosed the posts were AI-generated, many people didn’t bother reading fully, used their own AI / automation tools to comment… or took the posts way too seriously. (Check out the comments on both posts here and here.) 😆
The result? LinkedIn’s algorithm boosted my post even further.
It’s a stark reminder of what’s coming in 2025: even more AI-generated junk cluttering our LinkedIn feeds. Buckle up. 😒
P.S. Gen-AI was used to tidy up this intro today (i think i’m addicted to using it now).
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🔥 GEEKOUT HOT 5
Geekout’s pick of the hottest headlines in social this week:
TikTok will block beauty filters for teens over mental health concerns [RESTRICTING]
Reddit overtakes X and LinkedIn in UK’s most popular social platforms report [ATTENTION-GRABBING]
Mark Zuckerberg had dinner with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago [INFLUENCING]
Elon Musk admits X is throttling posts with links on the platform [CONTROLLING]
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🚨 EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT…
Is Australia’s teen social ban the start of a trend?
So it’s officially happening. Australia is banning under-16s from social media.
The law requires platforms to take “reasonable steps” to verify the age of users and prohibit those under 16 from opening accounts.
But that’s not quite as draconian as it might sound. Messaging apps, gaming platforms, and services that provide educational content (including YouTube) are exempt. Also, kids aged 15 and under will still be able to access content on platforms such as Reddit and TikTok that is available without creating an account.
As you might expect, the social media platforms are NOT happy at losing a lucrative and impressionable audience to show ads to.
Meta has accused the Australian government of failing to consider young people’s voices, while TikTok said the legislation was “rushed” and “unworkable,” and riddled with “unanswered questions and unresolved concerns.”
A big question mark hangs over how the law will be enforced. Google and Meta have argued that enforcement should be delayed until a trial of age-check tech is completed. But the law isn’t going to come into force any time soon, anyway. It’s expected to take at least a year to implement
While this law certainly is tougher than other countries, the wind might be blowing in Australia’s direction.
France already has a minimum age of 15 for social media use and is pushing for EU-wide takeup of the law.
And while TikTok is opposed to the Australian law, it plans to block teenagers from beauty filters and tightens up systems to block under-13s from the platform as teen safety on social media becomes an ever more salient issue.
In the long run, younger teens being able to use whatever social media they like might be a thing of the past in countries around the world.
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✨ NEW & NOTEWORTHY
Everything else you need to know from the past seven days…
Meta / Facebook 👥
Facebook now lets creators give broadcast channel members exclusive early access to posts ⭐️
Meta has formally proposed age verification by Apple and Google App Stores in Europe
Facebook now lets you automatically invite followers who have recently engaged with your profile to join your Group
Meta will face trial in April over the FTC’s antitrust lawsuit to break up the company over the way it bought up rivals
Meta’s mixed-reality attempt at a Wii Sports knockoff is coming soon
Facebook added an ‘Add yours Templates’ section for Stories
Instagram ✨
Instagram has added location sharing, and other new DM features, including sticker packs and nicknames for friends 💬📍
Instagram now has a Collage mode for Stories
Instagram is introducing Video Notes of up to 60 seconds
Instagram is testing placing the DM button in the main tabs bar
Instagram will soon let you create ‘micro-communities’ from a post’s share sheet
Instagram is making it easier to add Reels to posts to notes
Instagram now lets you create a Reel from photos sent in a DM
Instagram now lets you share a Reel directly to Threads
You can now create prompts in Instagram Broadcast Channels
Instagram just made Reels in Stories look even better, with a fresh design and ability to share a Reel full-size
Instagram is introducing a new filter feature to organize saved content
ICYMI: Instagram is testing a Linktree-style ‘personal link page’ for Meta Verified subscribers
Threads 🧵 / WhatsApp 💬
Threads now lets you swipe between different feeds right from the home screen ↔️
Threads is testing the option to make any feed your default, another apparent feature copy from Bluesky
…And in another Bluesky ‘tribute’, Threads is working on its own version of Starter Packs
Threads is testing improved search and trending topics features
Threads finally lets users watch videos in landscape
Threads is rolling out the ability to hide your replies from your profile
WhatsApp is testing a new, larger thumbnail design for status update, resembling the layout of Facebook Stories
… And WhatsApp now sends reminder notifications about status updates you may have missed
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature to add a message to any forwarded content
Twitter (‘X’) 🤡
X is offering 40% off an annual Premium subscription until 2 December (I’ll pass, thanks). 💸
Elon Musk’s self-promotion on X needs probing, EU lawmakers say
…but X told the EU that the platform is a safe space for free speech
X now lets you hide engagement numbers on posts. Is Musk scared of the platform’s waning appeal
X has added an NFL Portal to encourage sports engagement
X’s new terms of service are driving some users to leave the platform
Several UK police forces have cut their X usage to a minimum
X investors sitting on losses after the platform’s decline have reported been given shares in booming xAI to make them “whole”
X users can now activate side-swiping likes and replies in feed
YouTube 📺
YouTube has added new a long-list of creator tools and a new content disclosure system 🛠️
You can now upload videos directly to YouTube with iOS Share Sheet integration
YouTube has officially launched its Spotify Wrapped-style 2024 Music recap feature
TikTok 📱
TikTok Ad has crowned Sony Music's “Pedro the Raccoon" campaign at the Greatest TikTok in Europe this year (odd choice if you ask me) 🏆
TikTok’s CEO has reportedly sought help from Elon Musk as the U.S. ban deadline approaches
TikTok’s CEO has also been summoned to the EU Parliament over its alleged role in a far-right election victory in Romania
TikTok Studio is now available on desktop, with a new ‘Unlimited Sounds’ feature
TikTok now lets you filter your DMs for messages from accounts with 10K+ followers
TikTok is running a Black Friday promo offering $40 in rewards for inviting friends to sign up
TikTok is testing new labels for trending topics on TikTok Search
Bluesky 🦋
Publishers are seeing traffic referrals from Bluesky far exceed those from Threads 📈
Bluesky says it will comply with EU rules after being called out
Bluesky’s 20-person team is rushing to get more servers as more users come on board
…and it will quadruple the size of its moderation team from 25 to 100 people
Bluesky is considering a decentralised user verification system… and it has a real verification problem
Pakistan has blocked Bluesky as its popularity grows
Reddit / Snapchat / LinkedIn / CapCut… 👽
Reddit rolled out its personalised 2025 recaps of your year on the platform 🎉
Reddit is working on an improved search feature
Snapchat+ is introducing pre-release “New Bitmoji Reactions”
CapCut is offering prizes of up to $75,000 in a campaign called “Winter Carnival” for simply posting videos
LinkedIn updated the engagement icons on videos in its TikTok-style video tab… And the mute/volume button has been replaced with a 'Save Post' button
🔥 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:
YouTube is upgrading its Inspiration Tab with AI-powered features ✨🪄
Also spotted this week:
X added citations to Grok so you can see where information has come from
Messenger now features Meta AI for messaging your friends
Cameo has added AI search to help you find the right celebrity for your message
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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 The Times about why social media users are flocking to Bluesky over Threads
Also from me this week:
I gave my thoughts to The Telegraph about X’s drop in popularity in the UK
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😆 LOL
Filed under #relatable. Thanks Josh!
Austrian Airlines nailed its exit from Elon Musk's X!
We all know someone who does this…
Also:
Bluesky knows the score on Threads
LinkedIn high school leaderboard 💀🏆
WTF did you just say Adam Mosseri! Parody account… but still! 💀
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📈 MEMES
This Chill Guy has been making (extremely chill) waves on TikTok and beyond. 🔥
Check out the backstory to how Chill Guy went viral here.
Going to the movies by myself because I’m just a chill guy who enjoys the magic of cinema
— Ray 💯 (@RayTheYoung)
9:55 PM • Nov 19, 2024
When you re-watch The Office for the 100th time instead of starting a new show because you’re just a chill guy
— The Office Memes (@OfficeMemes_)
1:44 AM • Nov 21, 2024
Also worth checking out:
Rachel Karten (link-in-bio newsletter) has a great interview with the original creator of Chill Guy
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🌡️ VIRAL
‘LOLCow’ is a word making the rounds on TikTok right now, but is it modern bullying or just harmless fun?
Also:
‘PDF to Brainrot’ study tools are a strange iteration on a TikTok trend
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🙊 WHAT DID YOU SAY?!
“LinkedIn simply does not have content interesting and appealing to minors”
– LinkedIn claimed it’s too boring for kids to be included in Australia’s teen social media ban. It might be right TBF.
MrBeast said allegations about is Amazon game show have been “blown out of proportion”
Adam Mosseri admitted Threads is moving product ideas forward in response to Bluesky’s increased popularity
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🛠️ NEW TOOLS
If you used to love Nuzzel to help you find the best links being shared in your Twitter network, Sill is for you. 💯
It does the exact same thing… But for Bluesky and Mastodon. I love it already 👌
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👀 MY FAV READS
There’s been a lot of talk about this influencer marketing lawsuit this week: ⚖️👩🏻⚖️
“One Amazon influencer makes a living posting content from her beige home. But after she noticed another account hawking the same minimal aesthetic, a rivalry spiraled into a first-of-its-kind lawsuit.
“Can the legal system protect the vibe of a creator? And what if that vibe is basic?”
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👌 PRO TIPS
LinkedIn has revealed the secrets to writing an engaging (non-AI generated!) post on the platform 🔥
Even more pro-tips spotted this week:
LinkedIn also shared research into the impact of B2B influencers
Link posts on social platforms: Where each of the big social platforms stands on throttling posts with links
TikTok execs revealed 10 tips for creating thurmb-stopping long-form videos
TikTok also shared top holiday marketing and AI tool tips
YouTube revealed tips on how creators can align with connected TV viewing
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🪦 RIP
Social media features heading for the graveyard:
It’s time to say goodbye to Foursquare…
But social location sharing app Swarm is not dead yet. 📍
Also heading to the social media graveyard shortly:
TikTok is killing its AI-mojis feature, but you can create a new AI avatar for your profile
The Instagram for Business website is being merged into the Meta for Business website
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🤦 FAIL
It seems Meta Ai isn’t any more reliable than Apple Intelligence when it comes to accurately summarising news:
Also this week…
A weird WhatsApp bug is making messages go 'Oh'
Bluesky: Chinese State Media is annoyed that it spent a long time building an influence network in the West on X, but Bluesky is a lot more difficult to game
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😮 WTF?!
X is trying to stop The Onion from buying Alex Jones' social media accounts….
Also:
Influencers are using AI 'women' to lead people to OnlyFans and Fanvue — where more AI awaits
Someone has already scraped Bluesky to make a dataset of users’ posts to train AI on, even though Bluesky itself say it would never do this
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👔 YOU’RE HIRED!
Hot new social media jobs worth checking out this week:
Meta needs a Social Lead, Metaverse & Wearables [Los Angeles, CA, USA]
Bluesky is looking for a Community Marketing Manager [Remote]
Marie Curie is hiring a Social Media Manager [Remote, UK]
Channel 4 is on the hunt for a Social Media Manager [London, UK]
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📊 SOCIAL STATS
175 MILLION+
– The number of people use TikTok every month in Europe, based on TikTok’s latest disclosure report sent to the EU Commision
Reddit overtook X in UK users in May this year. Reddit had 22.9m adult users in the country, versus 22.9m on X
Teen cheats: 22% of 8-to-17 year olds lie that they are 18 or over on social media apps
Threads has added 35 million new signups this month
More than 50% of Reddit’s user base is outside of the US, but the US still accounts for 83% of Reddit’s total revenue
Telegram’s revenue leapt by 190% to $525 million in the first half of 2024
Misinformation: Research shows 6 in 10 social media content creators do not verify accuracy of information before posting it
1 in 4 English and Welsh teens who see violence online are being served clips via algorithms
59% of creators say it’s hard to make money because it’s hard to produce content consistently
Bluesky has eight confirmed cases on CSAM on Monday this week, compared to just two in the whole of 2023
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📈 CHARTED
Elon Musk’s increase in Twitter/X activity over the years is insane… 🤯
From Dec 2013 to the middle of 2018, Musk tweeted just over a dozen times a week, on average.
Between then and October 27 2022, when he acquired X, he was posting 50 times a week.
Since the takeover, that has risen to around 220 a week!
How Elon Musk has increased his Twitter/X posts about about politics
How Threads has lost ground to Bluesky
Extremely Online: UK adults now spend 4 hours and 20 minutes online EVERY day
Ofcom Report: The UK's most popular social media apps in 2024
UK and US Bluesky signups and X account deletions, charted.
Twitch still accounts for 82% of streaming hours
The top 10 live streaming creators in Q2 2024 across all platforms
TikTok: Media and publishing dominates TikTok engagement rate
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MORE META NEWS |
Meta is refusing to publicly disclose information that could determine whether it is subject to Canada’s Online News Act despite blocking news from its platforms there. [CTV News]
Meta is ‘reckless’ in ‘need-to-know situations’, Canada has warned Australia as it braces for an early bushfire season. [The Guardian]
WhatsApp has gone to the top EU court to argue it should be able to challenge a ruling that led to a 225 million euro ($236 million) fine by Ireland's privacy watchdog. [Reuters $$$]
New features and tests:
Instagram:
Instagram is still testing showing a small preview of the next image in the carousel [@gyuval]
Instagram is testing a new layout for suggestyed Reels. [@lindseygamble_]
Threads:
Threads now lets you block Fediverse accounts. [@jonahmanzano]
Threads is testing a new way to start a thread from your profile, under the profile tabs. [@theahmedghanem]
Messenger:
Messenger now labels the images sent in HD. [@oncescuradu]
WhatsApp:
WhatsApp is rolling out video notes more widely. [@jonahmanzano]
WhatsApp now lets you discover and follow channels using QR codes. [@falsu_35]
WhatsApp is testing the ability to open the reaction tray with a double-tap. [@WABetaInfo]
WhatsApp looks nearly ready to launch an new ‘typing’ indicator on Android. [Android Police]
WhatsApp Business is getting a dark mode. [@WABetaInfo]
WhatsApp is testing letting you share sticker packs. [@WABetaInfo]
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MORE X NEWS |
Elon Musk has been setting his followers on specific federal employees 🙄 [Wall Street Journal $$$]
X has offered ad credit matching to Shopify merchants. [Social Media Today]
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MORE TIKTOK NEWS |
A US federal appeals court is expected to rule by 6 December whether to uphold a law requiring ByteDance to divest TikTok by early next year or face a ban. [Reuters $$$]
TikTok Shop UK is running its “Biggest Ever Black Friday & Cyber Monday sale”. [TikTok Newsroom]
TikTok has announced the global winners of its 2024 'Gimme The Mic' talent contest. [TikTok Newsroom]
New features and tests:
TikTok now lets you add music to Deezer, in addition to Apple Music and Spotify. [TikTok Newsroom]
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💥 EVEN MORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS & UPDATES
Advertisers are stepping back from boycotts and other social media activity in the face of an impending Trump White House. [The Information $$$]
Australia has dropped a plan to fine social media giants accused of enabling misinformation. [NBC News]
Brands are being cautious about adopting Bluesky. [Digiday $$$]
Creators are turning to subscription apps due to increasingly competitive, volatile content economy. [CNBC]
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📰 WEEKEND READS
Geekout’s pick of the best longer reads to sink into over the weekend:
Enslaved on OnlyFans: Women describe lives of isolation and torture
How Bluesky rose out of Twitter's ashes to challenge X and Threads
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😳 AND FINALLY…
Need a laugh to end your week? Bluesky is rapidly becoming a new hotspot for jokes. Here are some of the best of the week….
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📅 BACK NEXT WEEK…
… And on that humorous note, you have reached the end of this week’s Geekout. 👊
But before you exit… I urgently need your advice!
Cringe Catwalk Conundrum
i'm speaking at Belgium’s biggest marketing conference next week (Thurs 5th Dec) - BAM Marketing Congress 2024.
But worryingly, this is the key info for speakers the event organisers just sent me: 🫣
So… The question is:
What should i do for my "great entry" down the catwalk? 💀
Reply to this email with you best (worst) suggestions, or drop them in the replies on this Thread.
Unless someone has a better idea, i’m going with either this: 🕺🏻
Or maybe this to confuse TF out of everyone 😁
My girlfriend Sarah has threatened to whip out her iPhone to capture the moment.
Seriously starting to regret signing up for this… And inviting her. 🤦🏻♂️
Goodbye, geeks!
p.s. This newsletter is edited by Martin SFP Bryant
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