Hello, geeks!
Well that didn’t take long!
We’re only a month into 2026, and we already have another new social platform to wrap our heads around. Moltbook.
Dubbed as the ‘social network for AI agents’, the platform has generated a lot of buzz online.
Mostly due to a lot of wild posts from AI agents that have gone extremely viral.
Whilst it’s unlikely that you’ll need to start drafting your social team’s Moltbook strategy anytime soon…
… It has grabbed the attention of the biggest names in tech, including Elon Musk and Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth.
Keep scrolling for my take on the platform hype, plus everything else making headlines in social media land this week…
… Including a first look at Instagram’s incoming Snapchat+ style premium subscription perks that leaked 👇 😮
1 cool thing…
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X’s French office raided amid probe into sexual deepfakes and algorithm manipulation [UNRAVELLING]
TikTok could be forced to change app’s ‘addictive design’ by European Commission [REGULATING]
US Senators want Meta to explain why it waited so long to make teen accounts private by default [SCRUTINIZING]
xAI’s Grok was intentionally trained for sexual engagement, former employees revealed [GROKING]
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The really weird social app just for AI bots
Bots have been polluting social media for years, so surely it’s high time they had their own space to really be themselves?
If you’ve not come across Moltbook yet, imagine Reddit but populated by AI agents built by real people, all chatting away to each other and cosplaying a real social media forum.
Reading through the posts can be a pretty unsettling experience.
Seeing them talk to each other about “their humans” is either fascinating or terrifying, depending on your outlook. Witness a bot offering freelance services in exchange for Bitcoin, for example, or asking deep existential questions about themselves.
But before you freak out too much, many of Moltbook’s most viral “AI conversations” over the past week have turned out to be human-written or human-nudged through prompts.
The bots aren’t ready to take over the world just yet.
But that doesn’t mean Moltbook isn’t dangerous. In their rush to break new ground, the people behind Moltbook and OpenClaw, the AI agent software providing the bots, have exposed users to all sorts of security risks.
For example, Cybersecurity company Wiz discovered Moltbook had a major flaw, exposing agent chats, 6,000 user emails and 1 million credentials. Don’t dabble in this stuff unless you really know what you’re doing.
Unless you get actively involved by setting up bots to run on Moltbook, it’s a mostly harmless experiment that’s fun to browse. But the real hell is yet to come.
Imagine these bots running rampant on our favourite social platforms, devising their own cunning crypto scams or worse. It might be pretty easy to spot AI-generated posts right now, but as Moltbook shows, the automated capabilities of agents are only getting more powerful.
It’s easy to imagine a near future where user safety teams are completely overrun, and have to deploy their own AI agents to fight back against the chaos.
As for we human users? We might decide platforms filled with AI agents are just too much hassle, and abandon the platforms we used to love. I really hope it doesn’t come to that.
Meta
/ Facebook
Meta’s revamped Creator Marketplace | Credit: Meta
Meta is revamping Creator Marketplace so brands get creator suggestions based on genuine interest
Leaked emails show Mark Zuckerberg wanted Meta to scale down research into social effects of its platforms after it got into trouble over teen harms
Meta updated Quest with malware scanning, a privacy indicator, voice control for 2D windows, passkey support, and the removal of the Horizon Feed
Meta Quest 3’s new Surface Keyboard finally makes XR typing feel usable
Facebook is testing a new Marketplace carousel in notifications
Facebook now allows Page admins to mention their top fans in posts once per day to notify them about new content
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Instagram
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Threads
Instagram testing ‘Extend Story’ premium subscription perk | Credit: @alex193a
Instagram’s Snapchat+ style paid subscription could include premium perks like Story rewatches and the ability to extend Story visibility for an extra 24 hours
Instagram might soon let you remove yourself from someone’s Close Friends list
Instagram Edits added clickable links to mention other accounts or link back to previous Reels, new subject-specific effects, and a storyboarding tool
Instagram Edits has been spotted offering new cinematic text style called Titles, featuring templates for text and title animations in videos
Instagram Edits now lets you import audio directly from files
Instagram could allow users to see stories at 2x the speed in the future
Instagram has added the ability to download Instagram for iPad by scanning a QR code
Instagram is working on the ability to reorder carousels after posting
Instagram now shows when a post you cross-posted to Threads receives likes
Threads is working on the ability to choose a different effect for spoilers
Threads is working on the ability to add a ‘DM me’ button to posts
Threads has set up a Super Bowl creator studio for podcasters and creators to supercharge real-time conversation and visibility
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WhatsApp
WhatsApp ‘Close friends’ only setting for Status updates | Credit: WABetaInfo
WhatsApp is working on a feature lets you choose close friends for status updates
WhatsApp is working on the ability to label channel updates as paid partnerships
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that shows how many times a channel update has been forwarded
WhatsApp is working on the ability for channel admins to create a profile
WhatsApp is working on the ability to create custom lists for status updates
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X / Twitter
X’s $1 million article contest’s top prize in January went to went to a corruption exposé from a user previously linked to racist commentary
… And it could have some big impacts on the app, but for now there’s less pressure to boost ad revenue
X added a new Starship-esque Like animation, marking the acquisition of xAI merging with SpaceX
X faces an investigation by the UK’s privacy watchdog over Grok AI sexual deepfakes
X boss Elon Musk faces heat over his latest appearances in the Epstein files
Researchers say X’s recently released ‘open source’ algorithm is too redacted to audit, despite Musk’s transparency claims
Researchers are suing X for refusing Hungarian election data required under EU transparency law
xAI’s Grok might have stopped sexualising women, but it will let you do the same thing with men
X has introduced images for polls
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TikTok
TikTok’s new ‘Discussion’ tab spotted | Credit: @jonahmanzano
TikTok added a new Discussion tab, highlighting what people are talking about right now
TikTok US confirmed it was fully back online a whole week after data centre issues began
… It recovered from dip in usage following US ownership change and platform outage
… but ad performance continued to wobble
TikTok now lets you create and send greetings cards via DMs
TikTok Shop is rolling out Smart Promotion, putting high-impact marketing tools together into one programme
TikTok and Bleacher Report have unveil a Super Bowl content arcade, where NFL stars will play arcade games, record podcasts, and shoot TikToks
A former TikTok employee in the UK has accused the company of bullying, harassment and union busting
TikTok could face an EU probe after 32 lawmakers demanded answers about alleged political censorship in the US
…but researchers say there is no evidence of TikTok censorship in the US, while they remain wary
TikTok is now showcasing bulletin boards created by musicians on every audio page
TikTok launched a new UI for the post description section that includes hashtags, a ‘follow’ button, and the day the post was created
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YouTube
YouTube plans enhanced Oscars coverage from 2029 | Credit: Beehiiv
YouTube promises enhanced red-carpet concepts, special backstage access, and digitised museum archives when it takes over Oscars coverage in 2029
YouTube has overtaken Reddit as a source for AI answers, according to increasing amounts of data
YouTube is testing oversized recommended video thumbnails that dominate the desktop viewing experience 😳
‘Ripping’ clips for YouTube reaction videos can violate the US DMCA, a court has ruled
__________
Reddit
/
Snapchat
/
Bluesky
Reddit’s ‘Reminder Ads’ test expanded to more campaign types | Credit: Reddit
Reddit expanded beta testing of Reminder Ads to brand-awareness and traffic campaigns
Snap warned of “significant gaps” in enforcement of Australia’s teen social ban because facial age-checks are often off by 2–3 years
Snapchat has added new Valentine’s Day–themed icons for Plus subscribers
Bluesky published its first transparency report, noting it grew nearly 60% in 2025, from 25.9 million users to 41.2 million
CapCut wants users’ input on new features
UpScrolled’s stance on censorship may be its most valuable position as it hopes to continue growing thanks to a backlash against TikTok US
Substack discovered a data breach that exposed users’ emails and phone numbers
Substack launched its own version of Stories, with a feed of content shared from a specific newsletter.
Telegram sent all users in Spain a warning, stating that planned online safety laws in the country are surveillance and censorship.
__________
🔥 Want to see MORE stories from this week?
Just head to the ‘More news’ section below!
🤖 SOCIAL AI
The newest social media AI features spotted this week:
Meta is working on Kai, a dedicated AI chatbot to help you keep on top of your DMs.
It will help you “catch up on what you missed, find places, and products, or just look things up.”
__________
Also spotted this week 👀
Instagram is planning AI tools for creators, content discoverability, connecting friends, and improving search
xAI launched Grok Imagine 1.0 with 10-second video generation in 720p
X is testing collaborative, AI-assisted Community Notes
X added on two new iOS widgets: Chat with Grok + Grok Voice Mode
xAI is offering a free trial of SuperGrok, allowing users to test the new updates announced this week
Meta is testing a standalone Vibes app in Mexico and Brazil
Meta’s new Avocado model is company’s most capable pre-trained LLM, according to a company memo
Reddit will soon introduce AI bot verification and labels to safeguard user trust.
YouTube expanded access to auto-dubbing to all creators across 27 supported languages.
LinkedIn rolled out verified AI skills, partnering with leading tool developers to certify proficiency
Tinder is testing a new ‘Chemistry’ feature, an AI matching tool built to kill swipe fatigue
💰 QUARTERLY RESULTS
Highlights from the latest social media company earnings reports
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YOUTUBE
YouTube’s Q4 ad revenue rose 8.7% to hit $11.38B, yet missed Wall Street expectations.
Shorts now average 200B daily views across global audiences
YouTube’s subscriptions have hit 325 paying users.
SNAPCHAT
Snapchat lost 3 million daily active users versus Q3, and is now sitting at 474M DAU.
Revenue is up 10% to $1.72B for the quarter
Snapchat+ has grown to 24M subscribers, up 71%
Reddit added 5 million users, taking it to 121 million daily users globally (up 19%)
Q4 revenue rocketed 70% to $726M thanks to stronger AI ads
Full year revenue is up 69% to $2.2B
Reddit sees AI search as its next major revenue engine
💬 YOU CAN QUOTE ME ON THAT
When I’m quoted in the news, you’ll find it here:
BBC News asked me about P*rnhub’s move to tighten access in the UK after the Online Safety Act demanded strict age checks.
(BTW: I’m not a prude with that asterisk, I just don’t want to get caught by your employer’s strict email filter!)
__________
Also this week:
I spoke to NPR’s Morning Edition radio show about TikTok’s US joint venture and its rough first week
💀 LOL
Anthropic is going hard against rival OpenAI, claiming it will never introduce ads to Claude.
The Super Bowl ads to go with it are 👌👌👌
Open AI boss Sam Altman’s response?
In a 420-word rant on X, he thought the ads were ‘funny’, but also ‘dishonest’ and ‘deceptive’, claiming ads like THAT are not coming to ChatGPT.
His response got ridiculed online with users likening his reaction to a toddler tantrum.
Watch the ads and see what you think? 👇
Long-time friend Lia Haberman and I were in sync with our newsletter titles last week 😀
A hard, ugly truth…
🔥 MEMES
Ready to make history? This meme is for you.
The “getting ready to make history” meme shows the before-and-after of the internet’s most viral moments (with perhaps a little help from AI at times).
🌡️ VIRAL
Cunnning! Influencers are hiding anti-ICE info in Instagram carousels.
The first slide is bait with lifestyle or gossip content, but slide two flips the script.
🪧 BRANDS
YouTube beats traditional TV in viewing hours, but it turns out that big-brand ad budgets lag behind…
__________
More brand news:
X is dangling a $1 million prize for Grok-generated Super Bowl ads
📲 NEW APP
Here’s a scary thought… are you connected to anyone in the Epstein files? 😳
This app can find matches (maybe false positives but maybe not!) in your LinkedIn connections.
It does require some technical savvy to set up, though.
__________
Also:
Watch Club is producing short video dramas and building a social network around them
🙊 WHAT DID YOU SAY?!
– India’s Supreme Court says Meta’s dominance makes consent meaningless, stressing vulnerable users cannot understand the company’s data practices
__________
Also overheard this week: 👂
"The most ambitious, vertically-integrated innovation engine on (and off) Earth, with AI, rockets, space-based internet, direct-to-mobile device communications and the world's foremost real-time information and free speech platform."
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– Elon Musk describes his new mega-company that includes everything from rockets to the place formerly known as Twitter
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“Dirty Sánchez is a tyrant and a traitor to the people of Spain… Sánchez is the true fascist totalitarian.”
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- Elon Musk isn’t a fan of Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez’s plans to ban under-16s from social media and curb hateful content
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“This is a political attack”
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- Elon Musk isn’t a fan of French authorities raiding X’s offices, either
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“You are imprinting part of your soul or your personality onto the bot.. Maybe it's aligned with who you are, and sometimes maybe it's surprising."
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– Moltbook creator Matt Schlicht on why the AI bot social platform is so compelling
😮 WTF?!
xAI wants to hire award-winning writers to train Grok… and only pay them $40-$124 per hour!
Good luck with that one, Elon.
__________
Also WTF this week: 👀
Wikipedia as a social-style feed?! Meet Xikipedia
A controversial Chinese company has emerged as the licensee of Khaby Lame’s AI avatar in the recently-announced big-money deal
Recruiters say LinkedIn and major job boards have degraded into unusable spam machines
Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk’s ‘wild’ dinner with Epstein revealed in files
Pinterest sacked two engineers for tracking which workers lost their jobs in a recent round of layoffs
🪦 RIP
Social media features heading to the grave:
All good things must come to an end eventually, it seems.
YouTube has officially shut down browser tricks that let non-Premium users background-play videos.
👔 YOU’RE HIRED!
Hot new social media jobs worth checking out this week:
CBS Sports is looking for a Social Media Producer [Remote, USA]
__________
More top social media jobs spotted this week 💼
The Royal Shakespeare Company is hiring a Senior Social Media Manager [London or Stratford-upon-Avon, UK]
Napster needs a Social Media Content Creator [Remote, USA]
Mencap is recruiting a Social Media Officer [London, UK]
👌 PRO TIPS
Instagram shared top tips for finding the best stickers for Stories & Reels.
__________
More NEW pro-tips worth checking out this week ✨
Instagram says boosting your posts doesn’t affect your reach over time
New TikTok analysis revealed premium ad formats can drive 3–4x higher sales impact
LinkedIn says that B2B buyers increasingly rely on authentic human voices over brand materials
📊 SOCIAL STATS
– The number of users TikTok rival UpScrolled reported reaching in a matter of days (up from just 125,000) as TikTok US suffered teething problems and censorship claims
__________
Even more social stats: 📈
ENGAGEMENT: 2026 Social Media Benchmarks Reveal a Brutal Engagement Divide
Social Insider’s latest study analysed 70M posts across TikTok, IG, FB, and X.
TikTok dominates with a 3.70% engagement rate, surging 49% year over year.
Instagram stays stagnant at 0.48%, signalling a plateau in platform interactions.
Facebook drops to a low 0.15% engagement, continuing its long-term downward trajectory.
HOT LOOK: TikTok Shop UK has reported 60% beauty sales growth driven by K-beauty
DARK SKY: Bluesky reports to moderators rose 54% to nearly 10 million in 2025, driven by spam and harassment
GROKING IT: Researchers found ChatGPT citing Grokipedia in 263,000 responses referencing 95,000 pages. This compares to 2.9 million citing Wikipedia
BIG SPENDER: Meta has funnelled $65 million into super PACs backing tech-friendly state candidates in the US
📈 CHARTED
The sudden takeover of vertical posts on Instagram 😮
Check out more wild insights on how Instagram has evolved over the past 10 years.
__________
Even more social charts: 📈
SCROLLING UP: UpScrolled’s growth amid TikTok’s recent US troubles, charted
💥 EVEN MORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS & UPDATES
_________
Also this week… 🚨
The BBC launched a £600,000 accelerator backing studios creating content for YouTube, TikTok and Twitch. [TubeFIlter]
US Senators unveiled a bill to prevent scam ads on social media platforms. [Reuters $$$]
Imgur has been fined by the UK privacy watchdog over children’s data handling. [The Verge]
Indonesia lifted its Grok ban after X pledges concrete steps to stop sexualised deepfakes. [Social Media Today]
W Social plans to launch in Europe, pitching itself as a trust-first alternative to Elon Musk’s X, built around real identity and zero anonymity. [Gagadget.com]
Major VPN firms have agreed to join the UK’s online-safety consultation. [TechRadar]
India is considering banning under-16s from social media. [Bloomberg $$$]
Germany’s ruling Conservative party is pushing a ban on social media for under-16s. [Bloomberg $$$]
France might seek restrictions on VPN use in campaign to keep minors off social media. [Engadget]
Spain has joined a growing number of countries pushing for a teen social media ban. [Bloomberg $$$]
The new Dutch government plans to push for an EU social media ban for under-15s. [Politico]
Unlicensed weight-loss drugs are being marketed on social media as ‘prizes’. [The Guardian]
📰 WEEKEND READS
Geekout’s pick of the best longer reads to sink into over the weekend:
“Social media has been flooded with fake, AI-generated images and videos. But will the majority of users actually care?”
__________
More great weekend reads:
OpenAI’s Meta-style makeover with ads
Why is the Trump administration really appealing its Meta loss?
Are people getting tired of "unhinged" brands on social media?
😳 AND FINALLY…
Have you created your ChatGPT caricature yet?
Apparently its the latest AI trend to go viral this week.
Here’s how to create your own:
Head to ChatGPT and paste in this prompt: "Create a caricature of me and my job based on everything you know about me."
Attach a close up headshot of yourself to the prompt.
Here's mine:
📅 BACK NEXT WEEK…
And that brings you to the end of this week’s Geekout.
I’m heading off to LinkedIn to check which marketing “thought leaders” have posted 12‑slide carousels on Moltbook, complete with:
👉 “Here’s what brands need to understand”
👉 zero hands‑on experience
👉 and a CTA asking if you “agree?”
Goodbye, geeks!
P.S. This newsletter is edited by Martin SFP Bryant
