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This week's Geekout is all about confessions. 😮 | I have one to share…. Will you share yours with me? More on that in a moment | But first… Don't miss these: | | ** Not an ad. Just another like-for-like cross promo with a newsletter I enjoy.
Want to run a cross promo with Geekout? Get in touch! | __________ | Confessions of a social media manager 🤫 | | Wow. Last week's rant about the VIP ticket fiasco update clearly sparked you all off! | My inbox blew up with dozens of confessions from fellow Geekout readers sharing their own horror stories. | I have to confess… Knowing I'm not alone dealing with chaos-causing clients or dumbass demands from bosses was surprisingly cathartic. 🧘 | It seems we all have an 'Alison' in HR who has a "great idea" for a LinkedIn post that makes you want to slam your head on the desk and scream FML! 🤦🏻♂️ | I'd love to keep this going! | So… send your confessions about: | Insane work requests or questionable "genius ideas" from your boss or colleagues. Your ultimate client from hell. Your biggest heart-stopping mistakes Any other jaw-dropping work-related disasters worth sharing.
| Think of it as free therapy for those of us left with social media manager PTSD. — we're all friends here! 😁 | Best confessions get featured anonymously in Geekout in the coming weeks (with your permission only, of course). | And if you don't want me to share them, I will enjoy hearing you vent (your secret is safe with me!). | Hit reply to send me your confessions
I may not be able to respond to every reply. But i will read every one of them! | P.S. Social media managers… Can you compete with THIS? 😱 |
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| __________ | ⏱️ Hurry… Only 350 Geekout EARLY ACCESS beta spots available. | 👉 Join Endorsa's EARLY ACCESS beta now! | |
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🔥 GEEKOUT HOT 5 | Geekout's pick of the hottest headlines in social this week: |
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 | X Bounces Back to $44 Billion Valuation, Same Price Elon Musk Paid to Acquire Twitter in 2022 | Social media site was valued at less than $10 billion in September |
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Meta AI is finally rolling out in Europe, but with several limitations [EXPANDING] TikTok Ban: Oracle emerges as key to most possible outcomes for TikTok US [NEGOTIATING] Social media giants face big fines as UK's strict online safety rules come into force [REGULATING] X, Meta, Google, and Apple want Trump to take on Australia's strict media laws [BATTLING]
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SPONSORED - FREE NEWSLETTER - CREATORS
The Free Newsletter 130,000+ of the World's Top Creators Swear By 🔥 |
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Join the 130,000+ readers who are staying up to date with the business of creators. | From Colin and Samir, every issue of The Publish Press breaks down 3 big stories shaping the industry - what happened, why it matters, and what's next. | Discover new trends and insights, as well as the latest job opportunities within the creator space… In under 5 minutes! | __________ | Subscribe to Publish Press to get: | 🔥 3 big stories every week: What happened, why it matters, and what's next
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🚨 EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT… | X bounces back. Or does it? |
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 | Value of Elon Musk's X 'rebounds to $44bn purchase price' |
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One thing you need to know in order to understand Elon Musk is that the valuations of his companies are based largely on the strong hype fumes he gives off to investors. | While some of us had Elon's number years ago, investors (until the last couple of weeks, anyway) still seemed to believe that Tesla was worth way more than any other car company. | Why? Because it might eventually deliver things it's been promising for years (like full self-driving capabilities), or shiny new things that distract it from the basics, like humanoid robots (for some reason). | And while the business fundamentals of X, which has driven away users and advertisers while screwing up user safety and embracing widely unpopular far-right influencers, might point to a drop in valuation since Musk bought it, it seems to have rebounded in value to the same $44 billion he paid for it. | So, what's going on with the pricing of X's new funding round? | Well, Musk reportedly put some of the money up himself, so that doesn't tell us much. But still, there were some external investors involved here. And as The Information points out, they're treating X as the Tesla of social media: | "Investors in the fundraising are valuing X at 16 times 2024 revenue, or twice the average multiple at which publicly traded social media firms—Reddit, Snap, Pinterest and Meta Platforms—are trading, according to Koyfin data." |
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| Meanwhile, some people suggests accounting tricks are at play. | But its likely that Musk's proximity to power made investing in X look like a great way for investors to stay on side with the world's most wealthy (and almost most powerful, given his proximity to Trump) person. Oh, and X is an excellent propaganda tool to have a stake in if you want to shape public opinion. | Investing in Musk's companies is about believing in Musk. But he's increasingly vulnerable. Just look at the desperate-sounding Tesla all-hands he livestreamed last night. It was a 'greatest hits' of Tesla promises intended to make it look like it he's not massively distracted by his current main job of destroying the US government. | Should Trump decide to fire Musk, or should Tesla's stock price continue to crater as customers and investors lose faith, $44 billion for X could look like a ridiculous miscalculation by those who put money in this time. |
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✨ NEW & NOTEWORTHY | Everything else you need to know from the past seven days… |
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Meta / Facebook 👥 | | | __________ |
Instagram ✨
|  | Instagram's new 'Shortcuts' feature for quick sharing of posts with specific groups of friends |
Image credit: Lindsey Gamble |
| | __________ |
Threads 🧵 / WhatsApp 💬
|  | Threads' new topic tagging feature for posts |
| Threads has launched a big new feature update with topic tags in bios, follower-only replies and quote posts, a better video player, and more 🏷️ Threads is working on the ability find and follow popular creators on Threads, that you already follow on X Threads is testing a 'Weekly Recap' feature that provides a general overview of your account activity WhatsApp has a new look for its web app WhatsApp will soon limit the number of broadcast messages users and businesses can send, to combat spam and abuse WhatsApp is testing an option to link your Instagram account directly to your profile WhatsApp's business app is getting a new logo WhatsApp might soon get a new photo collage feature for status updates WhatsApp Status updates could soon play your favourite Spotify hits Meta launched new API solutions for WhatsApp Business, enhancing customer interactions.
| __________ |
Twitter ('X') 🤡
| | X analytics now shows how many of your followers are verified ✔️📊 X is testing a new engagement feature for posts 'React with video' Elon Musk shared, and then removed an X post absolving dictators for genocide (because of course he did) Elon Musk has been formally served with a summons in the SEC's lawsuit regarding his Twitter (now X) disclosures. Elon Musk has sued India's government over takedown orders on X Elon Musk invested $150 million to acquire more shares in X last year at a valuation approaching the price he paid for the company in 2022. X users treating Grok like a fact-checker is sparking concerns over misinformation A 23-year-old man livestreamed his suicide on X, asking viewers to create a memecoin in his memory - people did so, in a disturbing turn
| __________ |
YouTube 📺
| | | __________ |
TikTok 📱
|  | TikTok's new Amber Alerts feature for missing children |
| | __________ |
LinkedIn / Snapchat / Bluesky / More… 💼
|  | LinkedIn's new numbers puzzle game 'Zip' |
| | __________ |
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🔥 Want to see more hot news headlines or 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: |
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 | Instagram Experiments With AI-Generated Comments on Posts | More AI innovation from Meta. |
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MEME DROUGHT? What if the best meme in 2025… is no memes at all? 😱 | "'When I'm really old and have grandkids, I'm gonna tell my grandkids about the TikTok Great Depression of March 2025.'" |  | No new memes? TikTokers declare March 2025 the start of the 'Great Meme Depression' |
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|  | Watch now on TikTok | @worley_cd | Scrolling TikTok has never been so boring 😭 #fyp |
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|  | Watch now on TikTok | @mycatmeowsithink | YT SHORTS COLOBIZATION MARCH 25TH — GREAT MEME DEPRESSION #slimetok #juggtok #jollytok #ts #pmo #dandysworld #mainstream #💔 #🥀 #dih #unde... See more |
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LeBron James has become a genre of music. As Mashable explains: | "People are editing popular songs to be about the NBA star, and those remixes are everywhere on TikTok" |  | LeBron James song edits are taking over TikTok | "I'm. Talkin'. 'Bout. the man on the Lakers." |
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|  | Watch now on TikTok | @xenjournal | made this in two hrs instead of studying 😭😭 #ebron #lebronjames #lebronsong #fyp #xenjournal |
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|  | Watch now on TikTok | @andreas.prod5 | Oh Mr. LeBron… || #lebronjames #nba #nbaedit #goviral #basketball |
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| Also: | |
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F**K OFF BRAND: Should your brand join Bluesky? Be careful… | An account claiming to be Doritos appeared on Bluesky, but without a verified custom domain. The brand's posts were met with variations of "f*** off, brand." | Bluesky users aren't welcoming corporate accounts, creating a tough environment for advertising. The platform needs a business model, but integrating ads without backlash will be a challenge. | Read more about it in Ryan Broderick's awesome Garbage Day newsletter. | | Also: | |
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"A cheap, watered-down imitation" | - Telegram boss Pavel Durov labelled WhatsApp a poor copycat of his app, accusing it of copying features and spending heavily on lobbying to hinder Telegram's growth | Also overheard this week: | "We're gonna have a staff of superintelligent, beautiful people kind of working for us"
– Meta AI boss Yann LeCun paints a rosy picture of where AI is going
"The day that Meta changed their name from Facebook to Meta, I did take literally all of my liquid cash and use it to buy Meta shares"
– Oculus founder Palmer Luckey says he bet big on Meta's rebrand, even after Zuck fired him
Meta's CTO Andrew 'Boz ' Bosworth also revealed he "loved and hoped to keep" the Oculus brand
"One of the most absolutely manufactured controversies of all time"
– Meta CTO Andrew 'Boz ' Bosworth speaks out about outcry over the change from "VR/MR" to simply "MR"
Signal's Meredith Whittaker has warned that UK demands for backdoor access would "leave it vulnerable to hacks, breaches and theft". She's not wrong.
"There will almost certainly be a high-level agreement that I think satisfies our national security concerns, allows there to be a distinct American TikTok enterprise"
– US Vice President JD Vance is optimistic a TikTok deal can be done by early April
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"The concept of being 'very online' has become obsolete as internet culture permeates everyday life." | This is one of several stories about digital minimalism spotted in recent weeks. — see. this one and also this (which i contributed to) |  | The age of being 'very online' is over. Here's why. |
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"Instagram's unwillingness to moderate AI-generated content finds a new low," says 404 Media reporter Emanuel Maiberg |  | People Are Using AI to Create Influencers With Down Syndrome Who Sell Nudes | Instagram's unwillingness to moderate AI-generated content finds a new low. |
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File this one under 'interesting' (but also under 'icky' because it involves memecoins).. | "Can a meme coin launch a content app to new heights? That's what Venmo co-founder Iqram Magdon-Ismael is trying with JellyJelly." |  | Are you ready for this JellyJelly? Venmo co-founder's new app is TikTok meets BeReal with a memecoin twist. - Tubefilter |
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| Also: | |
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LOW RES: YouTube videos not looking as good as usual? It's not just you… | "YouTube streams are automatically playing in 144p and 360p despite users having a strong and stable internet connection. A fix is incoming." |  | YouTube is struggling, and it's not your internet |
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| Also: | |
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👔 YOU'RE HIRED! | Hot new social media jobs worth checking out this week: |
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More top social media jobs spotted this week 💼 | |
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🪦 RIP | Social media features heading for the graveyard: |
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END NOTE: RIP TikTok's Instagram-like Notes app. ❌ | TikTok says the app and related features will be discontinued from May 6, with ByteDance suggesting you use Lemon8 instead. | | Also: | |
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 | Longer TikToks Get More Views — Data Shows Best TikTok Video Length | Shorter videos dominate TikTok, but they're generally not the ones with the highest median views and watch time, according to our analysis of 1.1M TikToks. |
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More pro-tips worth checking out ✨ | |
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$3.45 BILLION | - How much brands will invest in YouTube creators in 2025, with over half of US marketers using YouTubers for promotions |
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Even more social stats: 📈 | YOUTUBE FTW: YouTube TV has surpassed 8 million subscribers, and is expected to rise to 12.6 million by 2026 BUZZFEED'S MILLIONS: BuzzFeed will invest $10 million in its new social platform, BF Island CREATORS CASHING IN : Creators earned over $2 billion on Facebook in 2024 TIKTOK ADS DOWN: TikTok's cost per thousand impressions (CPMs) have plummeted by 80% YoY, reflecting reduced advertiser demand TEENS ONLINE: 40% of UK teens spend 6+ hrs online daily. 1 in 5 exceed 8 hours PINTEREST ADS UP: Pinterest's CPMs have increased by 120% over the same period, indicating growing interest from advertisers
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FACT-CHECKING: Fact-checks on X are getting faster, but not fast enough ⏱️ | Bloomberg's analysis of 1.1 million Community Notes shows the system struggles against political and financial incentives to spread lies on X. | Community Notes on X now appear in under 14 hours (down from 30 hours), but often after misinformation has already spread. | |
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More charted social insights spotted this week: 👀. | |
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 | MORE META NEWS |
|  | WhatsApp patches security flaw which let hackers install spyware | A zero-click zero-day was targeting WhatsApp users |
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| Meta has announced measures to protect Canada's upcoming election. [Meta Newsroom] An Arizona Republican lawmaker is pressing Mark Zuckerberg for answers regarding Meta's business dealings with China. [Washington Post $$$] Meta's potential exit from Delaware incorporation had the state's governor worried enough to call special weekend meetings. [CNBC]
| New features and tests: | Instagram: | | Threads: | | The rest: Creator Studio / Adtech / Quest and more: | |
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 | MORE TIKTOK NEWS |
|  | TikTok becomes a tool of choice in cat-and-mouse game between migrant smugglers and authorities |
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| | New features and tests: | TikTok Live events now include an exclusive access option, with pricing starting from $0.99. [@jonahmanzano] TikTok is working on an option to support multiple account access for its coin recharge website. [@theahmedghanem] TikTok has started showing Stories in the feed to more users (some users have had this for a while). [@theahmedghanem]
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💥 EVEN MORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS & UPDATES |  | Reddit Becomes a Lifeline for Federal Workers Scared of Losing Their Jobs |
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| Father of the web, Tim Berners Lee is behind the latest protocol to aim to make social media as interoperable as email. [Financial Times $$$] California's online child safety law has been blocked by a judge – again. [The Verge] Snap CEO Evan Spiegel believes that his company's unique approach to AR hardware positions them ahead of rivals like Meta. [Bloomberg $$$] Text scams warning of unpaid road tolls fuelled by cybercriminal salesmen on Telegram. [NBC News]
| New features and tests: | |
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📰 WEEKEND READS | Geekout's pick of the best longer reads to sink into over the weekend: |
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"White supremacists from around the world used Telegram to spread hateful content promoting murder and destruction in a community they called Terrorgram." |  | The Rise and Fall of Terrorgram: Inside a Global Online Hate Network |
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More great weekend reads: | |
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Buy, Buy, Birdie:: Want a piece of social media history history? 🐦💰 | "The roughly 560 lb. Twitter bird logo sign is once again up for sale, with the auction house estimating its value at upward of $40,000." |
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 | Bids cross $21,000 for the 'iconic' Twitter logo sign that Elon Musk had removed from HQ |
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You have reached the end of this week's Geekout. | A place only a few social media addicts reach each week. 😁 | Let's get. you out outta here…
…I'm heading off to get ready for an old-skool club night with Judge Jules in Exeter. | I have my ibiza trance pants ready to party like it's 1999. 🕺🏻 | | Have a great weekend, geeks! | | P.S. This newsletter is edited by Martin SFP Bryant |
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