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Hello, geeks!
Sixteen years after The Social Network, Aaron Sorkin is back for round two with Mark Zuckerberg.
The Social Reckoning opens today. Sorkin takes on the Facebook Files, with Jeremy Strong as Zuck.
The verdict: mixed. Good script, flat direction.
Strong even emailed the real Zuck before filming. Zuck replied. Strong won’t say what he said.
And Sony trolled Zuck with this brutal ad promoting the film on Instagram. 😝
Some people get a statue. Zuck gets an Aaron Sorkin sequel.
The reviews, the reaction and my take are coming up later in this week’s Geekout.
Meanwhile, in my own small corner of the internet…
Last week I showed you the refreshed Geekout Newsletter website I rebuilt with AI.
I’ve been back in since. More tweaks, more polish, a few fewer design crimes. Take a look.
Then I got carried away.
One redesign wasn’t enough, so I set my AI loose on mattnavarra.com too. It was overdue a glow-up.
Same double act as before: Claude Design and Codex, each checking the other’s homework.
The new site (which is not live yet) will showcase my consulting, speaking, media appearances, plus Geekout, all in one place.
My AI subscriptions still cost more than my heating and water bills.
Worth it? Ask me in January. 🥶
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Coming up in this week’s Geekout…
🎬 The Social Reckoning: what critics think, and my take
🚫 Meta bans TikTok’s owner from advertising in seven countries
💸 TikTok loosened its ad rules. Scam ads surged
🤳 X wants suspected bots to prove they’re human
🕶️ Influencers are selling Meta glasses dupes with no recording light. Oh lordy.
Let’s get into it. 👇
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TOP STORY: Mark Zuckerberg reportedly pushed Muse out despite unresolved safety concerns
Where have we heard this one before?
The Social Reckoning gets good, not great reviews ahead of its release today [SCREENING]
Meta bans TikTok from advertising on Facebook and Instagram [SCRAPPING]
TikTok quietly loosened ad rules… and scam ads surged [SCAMMING]
Discord security bot breach exposes data linked to tens of millions of users [SCARING]
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Why The Social Reckoning is getting mixed reviews
Should you race to see The Social Reckoning, out today? Since you’re reading Geekout, the answer might be “yes” regardless of the film’s quality, but what should you expect when it begins?
The reviews are mixed. It seems the sequel to 2010’s The Social Network is no classic, even if there are good performances from Jeremy Strong as Mark Zuckerberg, and the rest of the cast.
The Guardian searingly calls it “a film for all those people who solemnly deplore social media in conversation but haven’t quite got round to deleting their accounts”. Ouch.
Elsewhere, The Verge has broken down what the film depicts accurately, and what it takes huge liberties with for the purposes of putting a movie together.
Away from the media, even those a little closer to the action see it as a mixed bag. One ex-Meta employee told me “Strong was a good Zuck but I wouldn’t say it was a great roast of him. The storyline felt all over the place and January 6th was awkwardly forced in.”
That’s a problem here. The events in the film are all so recent that producers had to tread very carefully indeed to avoid legal action from Meta.
And there’s no mention at all of Donald Trump, despite the fact that the day his supporters stormed the Capitol is a key plot point. The people funding the film did NOT want one of the US president’s billion-dollar lawsuits.
And so it seems what could be a very satisfying story in 10 or 20 years’ time with a bit more water under the bridge is left not quite fulfilling its brief.
Still, writer and director Aaron Sorkin seems attached enough to the Zuckerberg story to consider turning ‘The Social…’ series into a trilogy if inspiration strikes.
‘The Social Perversion’ about the ‘pervert glasses’ storm?
‘The Social Agent’ about a future where Muse accidentally goes haywire?
‘The Social Retirement’ about a billionaire sitting on beaches and practising MMA while wistfully looking back at everything he did right and wrong at Meta?
…whatever, see you in the cinema in another 16 years for that… maybe.
Meta
/ Facebook
[Image: ChatGPT]
Meta’s Muse appears to create evolving profiles for family, friends, colleagues and other contacts, based on public information and what you share with it
Facebook is still hosting graphic AI videos depicting child abuse, despite new child safety tools
Meta is being investigated by the UK’s Ofcom over Instagram’s disappearing photos feature
Meta had to rush to fix multiple critical security flaws in Muse ahead of launch
Meta will block new political ads during the final week of the US midterm elections
Florida wants Meta to be forced to remove under-14s and heavily restrict teen Instagram accounts
Meta is expanding Live Video ads to Instagram, joining Facebook
Meta is building a dedicated virtual cinema for Quest and its new VR Glasses
Meta is adding new AI systems to catch child exploitation ads, links, and users
Meta is rolling out audio upgrades and turn-by-turn navigation for Ray-Ban smart glasses
Facebook’s Content Protection for Original Content feature is becoming exclusive to Meta One subscribers, with protection available for up to two Reels per month
Facebook has opened up Fan Challenges to more creators
Facebook is testing a Reels-first home screen in India
Messenger has been spotted testing a new “Close Friends” option
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Instagram
[Image: @theahmedghanem]
Instagram is testing a new ‘Mentions’ feature that highlights the best things people are saying about you directly on your profile, exclusively for Meta One subscribers
Instagram is testing an option to open straight to Reels instead of the traditional feed
Instagram Edits can now build carousels that mix images, videos, and text
Instagram is working on new tabs for creator series, including a dedicated section for short-form clips from those series
Instagram is testing a ‘read-only’ mode, letting you lurk profiles without accidentally liking your ex’s 2019 holiday photo
Instagram is exploring ways for creators to get paid for series
Instagram could one day support fullscreen horizontal Reels
Instagram is working on a new bulk notification management feature
Instagram added an option to access your saved posts and collections directly from Explore
Instagram also added an option to search within your Saved posts
Instagram is working on a new UI for the Edit Profile page
Instagram Edits is rolling out the new navigation bar with Liquid Glass support to more users
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Threads
/
WhatsApp
[Image: Meta]
Threads has announced a test of Gems, “a daily selection of standout posts and replies that drive meaningful conversations on Threads”
Threads is working on the ability to set a custom like for posts
Threads is testing a new way to reply to comments by swiping left to quickly jump into a direct reply to that person
Threads is working on letting users vote to turn tags into communities
Threads has updated its advanced photo editor with a text tool
Threads is testing a standalone ‘Unreplied’ filter on Android
WhatsApp is making chat controls faster and easier to reach on iPhone with a redesign
WhatsApp is testing a new Contacts tab that shows who’s online
WhatsApp’s stronger Restricted Chat privacy feature is now rolling out on the iPhone beta
WhatsApp plans to move Channels into your main Chats tab
WhatsApp is rolling out 2x playback for Status videos on Android
WhatsApp is giving its video player an iOS Liquid Glass makeover
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X / Twitter
[Image: ChatGPT]
Elon Musk says SpaceXAI will be renamed SpaceXSI because Trump prefers “super intelligence” to “artificial intelligence”
Journalist groups are urging X to stop blocking entire news accounts in Turkey
X now lets XMoney cardholders share their transactions on their profiles, showing what they paid for and where 🤔
X is making suspected bots prove there’s a human behind them with Face ID, Touch ID, or selfie-video verification, plus hand-motion detection
X keeps adding new features to its NFL hub, while working on bringing it to Android
X is also turning its NFL Hub, Gametime, into a year-round sports hub, starting with Major League Baseball
X is testing a new “Screenshot” button in the share sheet menu on Android
X has added an option to hide your X number from other users
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TikTok
[Credit: TikTok]
TikTok has outlined its plans to police misinformation during the US midterm elections
TikTok launched its ad network in the US, extending campaigns across nearly 400,000 third-party apps worldwide
TikTok added a new Creators You May Like section, featuring top creators based on topics you’re interested in
TikTok is working on a new Campaign Reminder feature that displays upcoming campaigns in a calendar
TikTok introduced an enhanced user interface for Memories and On This Day
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YouTube
[Image: YouTube via Android Authority]
YouTube is testing a desktop redesign that puts comments beside the video… And some users hate it. A lot.
YouTube is opening its Masthead ads to more gambling advertisers
YouTube is reportedly chasing bulk sports rights to bolster its Premium offering
YouTube is working on the ability for creators to A/B test entirely different cuts of the same video
YouTube is testing Channel Search, designed to help brands find creators by subscribers, average views, topics and more
YouTube now allows users to play ‘Playables’ games during livestreams on mobile
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Twitch
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LinkedIn
/
Reddit
[Image: ChatGPT]
Twitch has launched a Shopping category packed with Amazon Live sellers. QVC for Gen-Z / Gen-Alpha
Reddit is adding another AI-powered brand safety layer, partnering with Zefr to analyse the context around posts, comments and conversations
Reddit is improving lead-gen ads with new specialist audience types, third-party app integrations, and more
LinkedIn says its AI slop detector now hits 94% precision, and claims it’s reduced views of AI slop by 40%
LinkedIn has been spotted offering a more visual comments tab on a profile’s activity feed
Snapchat is working on a new feature that lets users customize their Spotlight covers
Snapchat is working on new Story Insights, showing views from followers and non-followers separately.
Bluesky has applied for a .bsky top-level domain
Pinterest is testing a new screenshot prompt that offers two different layouts for sharing Pins to Instagram or Facebook Stories
Pinterest is letting brands boost creator Pins they didn’t commission
Meta has launched Muse Gadgets to let developers build Muse into hardware products.
Zuck is trying to make Muse the operating system for whatever weird little gadget ideas developers create next.
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Also spotted this week…
Meta now lets parents see the topics their teen asked Meta AI about over the past seven days
Meta has launched an iPad app for Muse
Meta, unsurprisingly, also looks set tobring Muse to WhatsApp
Meta, Walmart, Stripe and Sierra are building an open “Personal Agent Protocol” for AI agents, to tame the chaos of doing business with AI bots
Meta Ads Manager has new AI features that can remember campaign context, generate creative, and more
Meta Creative Studio is being bolstered with AI automation for faster ad creation
X is turning Grok Bots into automated social listening tools
Elon Musk says Grok Bot will now use rival AI models when they’re better for the job
X has launched an AI-powered ad creation option. X Lift can turn a business URL into an entire ad campaign
X’s new video editor lets Grok fix and translate your captions
TikTok Shop is adding an AI shopping assistant along with one-click checkout
TikTok now lets you use Tako Playground to create AI images
Facebook is currently exempting news publishers from a test of a limit of two free links per month for Pages... but for how long?
I gave my take to PressGazette:
Be careful with those seemingly harmless memes about current events, folks…
Erling Haaland is suing airline Norwegian over World Cup social media posts that used his distinctive blonde ponytail.
Image rights are big business when you’re a football megastar…
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More brand news and views:
Music marketers are secretly running fake TikTok fan accounts
Spotify and Joe Rogan have signed another multi-year podcast deal
Creators moving into Hollywood risk signing away IP, names and personas 😬
"Instagram helped kill my daughter”
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Also quoted this week:
“He’s making bad decisions that are hurting us… But in dramatist terms, he’s not a villain. He’s an antihero. A villain has bad intentions. They want the money, they want revenge, that kind of thing. An antihero, the intentions are good”
- Aaron Sorkin on why he thinks Zuck isn’t a baddie in The Social Reckoning
Teens who can’t put down TikTok and Instagram are losing their sense of time…
Researchers tracked 1,567 Chinese teenagers over a year, measuring short-video addiction and academic resilience
Heavier addiction predicted weaker “future time perspective”, linking today’s choices less strongly with future goals
That decline was associated with lower academic buoyancy, or students’ ability to recover from everyday setbacks
Influencers are selling cheap Meta glasses alternatives as better tools for covert recording! 😮
TikTok influencers are promoting $40-$100 smart-glasses dupes as covert recording alternatives.
Some claim the glasses lack recording lights, while others advertise blocker stickers.
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More WTF this week:
TikTok gave teens a fake safety tool to test whether it hurt engagement, a new lawsuit alleges
The creators of AI influencers are getting rich from content real creators actually made
Gen Z TikTok users trust doctor-influencers more than their own doctor
Microsoft’s 13M-follower X account was hacked to promote a Clippy crypto token
Selfies can open more doors than polished posts, LinkedIn creators are discovering…
Creators say selfies and casual videos make them feel more human as AI content floods feeds.
Tara Crymble grew from 1,000 to 6,000 followers and says LinkedIn helped land her current job.
Arielle Berlinsky says face-forward posts helped build a community of more than 55,000.
Even a text-first creator is reconsidering his strategy as personal photos gain traction.
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More pro-tips:
LinkedIn says B2B marketers need to stop just optimising for clicks and get smarter
Meta says similar-looking ads or repeated opening hooks may rank less strongly - vary formats, messaging, tone, and creative hooks for better results
The Economist is looking for a Deputy Head of Social Media [Hybrid, London, UK]
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More social media jobs:
Virgin Gifts is hiring a Social Content Creator & Influencer Specialist [Remote, USA]
Canon needs a Social Media Content Creator Programme Specialist [Hybrid, London, UK]
Halfords is recruiting a Social Media Executive [Redditch, UK]
A new documentary takes aim at the business model behind social media addiction.
Your Attention Please follows Kristin Bride’s push for social media reform after losing her teen son
The film argues platforms profit from systems designed to keep people scrolling and emotionally hooked
It also spotlights phone-free schools, offline clubs and other attempts to rebuild healthier tech habits
Bride is still campaigning for Congress to pass stronger child-safety rules after years of delays
35 BILLION
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More social stats:
WHOA ROGAN: Joe Rogan’s new Spotify deal is reportedly worth up to $250 million
AGENT KING: Meta’s Muse averages 72% of daily AI-agent requests, according to new data
BAD VIBES: Just 7% of Brits now describe social media as a force for good
SCAM CITY: Money stolen by scammers hijacking UK social media accounts rose 400% year-over-year
VOTE SOCIAL: 55% of Americans say social media has shaped who they might vote for in the midterms
TRAVEL-TOK: TikTok claims 1-in-3 users have made travel plans as a result of watching a video on the platform
HEALTH & SELLNESS: 38% of health & wellness influencer posts are trying to sell you something
Social media is becoming a new battleground for AI search visibility.
According to a new report by SE Ranking:
Social links appear in 68% of Google AI Overviews, 32% of AI Mode answers, 8% of ChatGPT responses
YouTube leads Google AI Overviews at 16.2%, while Reddit leads AI Mode at 4.79% + ChatGPT at 0.46%
In ChatGPT, LinkedIn follows Reddit at 0.37%, with YouTube and Facebook both at just 0.20%
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Also charted this week:
TOP OF THE SHOPS: Retailers expect TikTok Shop and social platforms to rival their own websites this holiday
TALKING HEALTH: The most-discussed conditions by health and wellness influencers
Meta, TikTok and X are challenging UK regulator Ofcom over its huge data demands as part of the Online Safety Act.
“One witness statement submitted by X [described] it as ‘the most burdensome information request X has received from any regulator in any jurisdiction’.”
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Also spotted this week…
Meta is still mysteriously knocking LGBTQ+ venues off Facebook and Instagram. [Chron]
There’s now a monthly virtual support group for creators struggling with their mental health. [TubeFilter]
Dutch retailer Hans Anders has stopped selling Meta Ray-Bans over privacy concerns. [Reuters $$$]
Rebecca Yarros’s Fourth Wing tops TikTok’s first Europe-wide BookTok bestseller ranking. [Social Media Today]
YouTube will stop under-16s in Indonesia uploading videos or posting comments. [PPC Land]
Norway wants to temporarily ban AI glasses in schools, parks and other public places. [The Next Web]
Patreon is killing off per-creation billing from November. Creators using it will need to switch to subscriptions. [Patreon support]
New features and tests:
Facebook is adding “Credentials” and “Specialties and Services” sections under the About tab on Pages. [@theahmedghanem]
Facebook added a new “Page” label for Facebook Pages in the account switcher. [@oncescuradu]
Facebook is testing a Liquid Glass-like UI for the posts sheet, displaying likes, comments and shares in three separate sections. [@oncescuradu]
Instagram keeps encouraging users editing videos to switch to Edits for more features. [@jonahmanzano]
Facebook now displays full previews of pending group posts. [@theahmedghanem]
Instagram added a dedicated tab in Saved for upcoming series. [@theahmedghanem]
Instagram is following Facebook’s lead by adding a “Managed by another business” label to profiles. [@theahmedghanem]
Instagram now has a shortcut to view “Inspirations by Edits” in the Professional Dashboard. [@theahmedghanem]
WhatsApp can now show which country a phone number is from directly in the contact info. [@jonahmanzano]
WhatsApp Business is testing a revamped messaging UI with a prominent Reply button for sending saved replies or AI-suggested responses. [@theahmedghanem]
WhatsApp Business relocated the “Meta Business Agent” shortcut, which now opens a new conversation by default. [@theahmedghanem]
Snapchat is testing a new way to add location, time, and sound to Snaps directly from the text input box, with the option to add them as stickers. [@theahmedghanem]
The Threads logo now appears next to your username when creating a new post. [@jonahmanzano]
Threads has moved the profile share icon to a new location. [@theahmedghanem]
Substack is adding three new sponsorship formats for creator's newsletters. [DesignRush]
Microdramas are exploding, and Hollywood is scrambling to catch up
US microdramas are on track to generate $1.5BN in revenue in 2026.
Disney+, Paramount+ and Peacock are all moving into vertical scripted entertainment.
Quibi died too early. Turns out people did want TV for phones, just much trashier.
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Also worth a read:
Profile: The mulleted, meme-loving billionaire behind Meta’s hit AI app
Snap’s Evan Spiegel keeps seeing the future. He just can’t seem to win it
Social media safeguards for kids are finally in motion. Will AI protections take just as long?
What Meta VR Glasses mean for the future of Quest
Sony trolled Meta in the run up to today’s launch of The Social Reckoning, running this ad on Instagram…
A real surprise Meta let this one run! 😀
That’s all, folks. Your social media team debriefing, done.
I’m heading off into Ticketmaster hell…
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Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua tickets went on sale at noon today (Fri 9 Oct).
The venue, Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, is 10 minutes from my front door, and my 13-year-old son is desperate to be ringside.
But Ticketmaster is firmly in my top five most-hated companies, thanks to its “dynamic pricing”. Which is a fancy way of saying the price goes up while you’re stuck in the queue.
I’ll leave you with one of my all-time favourite Tyson Fury pre-fight trash talks.
@onemindset_ 👑🗣| #boxing #tysonfury #deontaywilder #message #funny #quotes #funnyquotes #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #viral #onemindset_
Love him or hate him, he really doesn’t give a single shit. 😆
Goodbye, geeks!
P.S. This newsletter is edited by Martin SFP Bryant
