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| | ✨ For the BEST Geekout experience ✨
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| | It's been another packed week of social media news (when isn't it?). | In this edition of Geekout, I'll tell you all about… | …How Meta's big-money AI hiring drive is stirring up drama (and memes) | …How Elon's new automated fact-checks could backfire on X | …How AI is helping some truly awful stuff go viral | …How Meta is still banning users by mistake (and paying for support might not help) | …How influencers can transition to a Hollywood career | …and lots more, plus LOADS of new features and apps you need to know about. | _________ | But first… Don't miss these: [ad] | Still using Google Drive? This top FREE alternative offers Swiss-grade encryption, smart file storage, but with no ads or creepy AI. 🔐👌
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| | 🔥 GEEKOUT HOT 5 | Geekout's pick of the hottest headlines in social this week: |
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| |  | Mark Zuckerberg announces his AI 'superintelligence' super-group | The group will be called "Meta Superintelligence Labs." |
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| | Trump says he has a US buyer for TikTok, reportedly including Oracle Blackstone, and a16z [BUYING] Facebook and Instagram users are STILL getting banned without warning or clear explanation [BANNING] X admits its new AI tool for creating Community Notes might spread lies [BEFUDDLING] Meta wants teens under 16 to need parental approval to download any app—not just social media–in the EU [BARRING]
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| | SPONSORED - NEW PODCAST - MUST-LISTEN
Steal Social Strategy From People Who Actually Know Their Sh*t |
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| | Want to get smarter about what's actually working on social — without the fluff? | Agorapulse's Social Pulse Podcast gives you access to the sharpest minds in social — with real talk, not just more recycled tips! | Launch episodes include: | 🎙️ Jenn Herman on cracking IG's algorithm
💬 Brooke Sellas on turning convos into cash
🎓 Karen Freberg on training Gen Z to crush social | More legends incoming: Jon Loomer, AJ Wilcox, Christopher Penn | If you manage social for a living, this is one podcast worth queuing up. | 🎧 Check out the latest episode – No BS. Just Strategy. |  | |
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| | 🚨 EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT | Zuck's big-money 'superintelligence' push takes shape |
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| |  | Mark Zuckerberg Wants to Win AI by Copying Everyone Smarter Than Him |
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| | A few weeks ago, news broke that Meta was realigning its AI efforts around a push towards 'superintelligent' tech. This week, with the announcement of a new Superintelligence unit within the company, we know more. | The New York Times reports that Mark Zuckerberg realised Meta was going the wrong way with AI after its Llama 4 model flopped this spring, prompting Zuckerberg to take serious action. | Meta has been reportedly offering up to $300 million over four years to entice AI experts from companies like OpenAI to join the new unit. Some OpenAI staff are said to have received offers exceeding $100 million for their first year. Zuckerberg is also promising limitless chips and resources for these people to work with. | Even as the first batch of hires were revealed in an internal memo to Meta employees this week, the big hires continued. | Meanwhile, Meta is seeking $29 billion from private lenders to fund investment in AI infrastructure. | The rush of developments around Meta's AI efforts this week has been bad news for Sam Altman and OpenAI. How must he feel? The launch of ChatGPT in late 2022 kickstarted this whole public race to "AGI", and it's become increasingly cutthroat, with Elon Musk and Zuck both looking to take on Altman… or take him down. | Meanwhile, there's been a sense of mourning at OpenAI, which reportedly shut down for the week to help staff adjust to the loss of key staff. | But just because he's grabbed some prize hires doesn't mean Zuck can win the race to superintelligence. Heck, we don't know if superintelligence is even possible with large language models. | And as that whole sojourn into the metaverse as the future of the company a few years back showed, as successful as he is, Zuck doesn't always have all the answers. |
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| | ✨ NEW & NOTEWORTHY | Everything else you need to know from the past seven days… |
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| | Meta / Facebook 👥 |  | Leaked render of Meta's 'Hypernova' Ray Ban smart glasses |
| | __________ |
Instagram ✨
|  | Instagram's closer integration with Spotify |
| | __________ |
Threads 🧵 / WhatsApp 🟢
|  | Threads DMs |
| | __________ |
Twitter ('X') 🤡
| | __________ |
YouTube 📺
|  | Improved YouTube analytics are on the way, including channel loyalty stats |
| YouTube's mobile video editor, Create, is coming to iOS, chasing CapCut and InShot YouTube is tightening monetisation rules starting July 15, targeting "inauthentic" videos that are mass-produced or repetitious. YouTube has rolled out comment filters and channel loyalty stats YouTube is pushing the UK government to appoint a minister for creators
| __________ |
TikTok 📱
|  | A new TikTok Shop campaign in the US |
| | __________ |
Telegram / LinkedIn / Snapchat / More… 👻
|  | Checklists in Telegram |
| | __________ |
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| | 🔥 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 AI | The newest social media AI features spotted this week: |
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| | Facebook is asking to use Meta AI on photos in your camera roll that you haven't yet shared… |
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| |  | Facebook is asking to use Meta AI on photos in your camera roll you haven't yet shared | By clicking "Allow," you'll let Facebook generate new ideas from your camera roll, like collages, recaps, AI restylings, or photo themes. |
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| | 💬 YOU CAN QUOTE ME ON THAT | When I'm quoted in the news, you'll find it here: |
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| | I spoke to BBC News as X announced its new head of product. I warned that product revamps might not being enough. | To truly grow, X must add safer environments, fresh formats, and better monetisation for creators. |
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| | Meta's talent-poaching AI strategy became potent meme fodder this week. | After all, wouldn't we all want $100 million for our first year in a new job? |  | 🦋/acc @ 🌲🎗️ @selini0 |  |
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On the left is Ronaldo, Real Madrid spent 80M $ to sign him from Man United On the right is Jiahui Yu, Meta paid 100M $ to sign him from OpenAI | |   | | | 2:45 AM • Jun 30, 2025 | | | | | | 24.8K Likes 1.97K Retweets | 293 Replies |
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|  | myousufii @muhammadyii | |
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#Meta keeps poaching from #OpenAI… | |  | | | 6:34 PM • Jun 30, 2025 | | | | | | 8 Likes 0 Retweets | 1 Reply |
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|  | Turner Novak 🍌🧢 @TurnerNovak | |
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The last thing you see before Zuck steals your last AI researcher | |  | | | 6:24 AM • Jun 30, 2025 | | | | | | 2.97K Likes 96 Retweets | 42 Replies |
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| | Ugh. Not everything that goes viral deserves to… | Google's realistic AI-generated video tool Veo 3 is being used to create racist and antisemitic content that is generating millions of views on TikTok. |
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| |  | Racist videos made with AI are going viral on TikTok |
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| | Also going viral this week: 🔥 | |
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| | Amtrak's viral 'Train-tacular' video—styled like a '90s monster-truck ad—earned 400K+ shares and 50K followers. It's been credited with reigniting interest in train travel. | Here's a look behind the scenes… |  | Behind Amtrak's social-first marketing—the viral 'Train-tacular' post and what's next |
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| | More brand news this week: 👀 | |
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| | "Like someone broke into our home" | - OpenAI's Mark Chen describes the feeling of Meta poaching key staff for fat salaries | Also overheard this week: | "I thought people were going to be pretty excited about it but I definitely missed the mark" – MrBeast, after he removed an AI video thumbnail generator feature that got real-life, human creators very annoyed
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| | Here, Rolling Stone breaks down the modern path from influencer to entertainment star… | Viral hits alone won't sustain a career anymore. Talent needs strategy: enlist a smart team, treat your work like a business, and protect your contracts. |  | What Influencers Need To Know To Build a Career in Hollywood |
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| | A digital 'life after death' debate has been sparked after social media users were stunned last week when US politician Gerry Connolly's social media accounts shared a post… | …weeks after his death 😳 |
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| |  | Late lawmaker posts raise questions about digital life after death |
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| | Meta users say that paying for Verified support has been useless in the face of mass bans. | A 25,000+ signature petition demands the company fixes the chaos. |  | Meta users say paying for Verified support has been useless in the face of mass bans |
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| Also: | Not every one is thrilled with Threads' new DMs feature. Many women say the feature invites harassment and lacks proper safety tools. Mark Zuckerberg walked into a top-level Oval Office meeting on new F-47 jets… without warning or clearance. Maybe he just wanted a taste of the Elon treatment?
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| | New social app ICEBlock is trending on the App Store in the US. It lets users report ICE immigration enforcement agent sightings in real time. | Due to the way Android works, it's current iOS only to product user anonymity. |
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| |  | New Social Media App ICEBlock Shows Nearby ICE Raids in Real Time |
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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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| | 🧪 SOCIAL SCIENCE | New research worth knowing about: |
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| | "A study shows that people on TikTok tend to follow accounts that align with their politics, creating echo chambers among users." |  | TikTok could be making you more politically polarized. Here's how |
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| Also: | |
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| | More pro-tips worth checking out ✨ | |
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| | 56% | – The percentage of creators who feel unheard in government policy discussions, despite contributing £2bn to the economy. That's according to YouTube's new UK Creator Consultation |
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| | Even more social stats: 📈 | SNAP PURCHASE: Snapchat claims it's a major driver of consumer electronics discovery, with 78% of users finding new products via social DISTRUST: Consumers trust influencers less than ads. Only 11% distrust ads vs. 26% for influencers TIKTOK STYLE: 70% of TikTok users have spent £1,000+ on fashion items.
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| | Online news platforms and newspapers still edge out social media when it comes to how decision makers get their news. | …in the UK, at least. |
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| | More charted social insights spotted: 👀. | |
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| | 💥 EVEN MORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS & UPDATES |  | Tech firms face demands to stop illegal content going viral | UK regulator Ofcom is consulting on more safety measures for online platforms, such as preventing screen-records of children's livestreams. |
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| Non-citizen influencers in the US are being warned: avoid political content or risk immigration trouble. [Bloomberg $$$] The EU has kicked off a review of its controversial Big Tech rule book to assess if it's working. [Politico] Apple has joined Threads, but is staying silent (for now). [Mashable] TikTok has teamed up with Japanese wrestling league Sukeban for Anime Expo 2025. [Social Media Today] Denmark plans to use its EU presidency to push for strict age checks on social media. [Politico] Meta and TikTok face a wrongful death suit from a mother who says their platforms promoted deadly "subway surfing" videos to her son. [Ars Technica] UK content creators are demanding formal recognition from the government [Sky News] Amazon is doubling affiliate commissions for influencers during Prime Day's new four-day format. [Adweek $$$] An Australian consumer watchdog issues public warning about 'ghost stores' and urges Meta and Shopify to crack down. [The Guardian]
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| | 📰 WEEKEND READS | Geekout's pick of the best longer reads to sink into over the weekend: |
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| | "VTubers first gained traction in Japan in the 2010s. Now, advances in AI are making it easier than ever to create VTubers, fueling a new wave of virtual creators on YouTube." |
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| |  | AI virtual personality YouTubers, or 'VTubers,' are earning millions |
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| | More great weekend reads: | |
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| | Has Mark Zuckerberg just entered his 'rich dad fashion' phase? | His evolving fashion style has seen him trading hoodies for luxury watches, including a $254,000 F.P. Journe model. | Mark, you know you can just check your phone for the time, right? |
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| |  | Mark Zuckerberg was spotted wearing a rare F.P. Journe watch |
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| | There you go, you are officially filled in and geeked out for the week! | It's going to be a busy weekend for me. | Tonight, I'll be at maybe the most hyped and exciting event in music this year… the first big Oasis reunion show, in Cardiff. | …but I'll have to turn down any offers of partying with the Gallagher brothers afterwards, as I have to be up super-early tomorrow morning to head off for a couple of days at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone! 🏎️ | With all those loud guitars and cars, my ears are going to be begging for mercy by Monday morning, but it'll be worth it. | Goodbye, geeks! | | P.S. This newsletter is edited by Martin SFP Bryant |
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