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Hello, geeks! |
Welcome to your weekly social media news debriefing. |
I have had one of the wildest week’s of work.
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In the past seven days I have been… |
⚽️ Gifted x2 exec box tickets for an Arsenal match (thanks WhatsApp!) 🎟️ Invited to attend Cannes LIONS by two different brands 💼 Asked to consult for a major global tech company
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This is not normal! But I feel very lucky. |
After a pretty brutal few years personally, it does feel like some good karma has finally stopped being “in review” and decided to ship. |
But better than all of that? |
My fiancée Sarah has finally moved in with me, after a year of us having to manage a long-distance relationship |
It feels like i’m starting a new chapter in my life, and i think it’s going to be the best one yet. |
BUT… Don’t miss this! 👇 |
I think I made a BIG mistake. This is wild. |
It involves a celebrity DJ, a wild Instagram DM I sent, and a surprising offer. |
Skip to the very end of this week’s Geekout to discover which famous DJ, and what TF happened! 🙈 |
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Snapchat CEO vs. Instagram Overlord |
Earlier this week, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel was asked how he feels about rival platforms copy/pasting its best features. |
And by “rival platforms”, we all know we mean Meta. |
The company that saw Snapchat Stories and thought: “What if we simply… stole that?” |
Spiegel didn’t exactly hold back. |
He immediately called out Meta’s latest Snapchat copy/paste job: Instagram Plus.
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If you’re wondering how Instagram overlord Adam Mosseri feels about the Snap CEO’s comment…
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Make of that what you will. |
P.S… Don’t miss this. The 1st one is 👌👇 |
2 cool things… |
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*sponsored message |
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SPONSORED ▶︎ FREE GEEKOUT EVENT |
Your Brand Account Just Got Hacked! — What Now? 😱 |
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You know that nightmare every social media manager has? |
A colleague sends you fear-inducing DM
Your brand account is posting porn on X!
Customers commenting “WTF is this!?”
Screenshots are being shared.
Your boss wants answers. |
And you’re thinking… “How TF do we fix this?!?” 😱 |
Most social disasters don’t start with one big mistake. They come from small security gaps: |
Too many people with account access Old agency, freelancer or employee logins still floating around Fake “account violation” messages that look convincingly real
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So… I’m hosting a FREE workshop on what marketers can learn from big brand social disasters. |
Who will be joining me?: |
Naveh Ben Dror, CEO of Spikerz — former criminal investigator turned social threat expert. Casey Smith, Social Media Lead at Slack — one of the sharpest brand social minds around.
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We’ll unpack real social media hacking incidents from Disney, to Dior, to Drake… |
You’ll learn: |
🚨 What to do in the first 5 minutes after a hack 🔐 The access mistakes putting accounts at risk 🤖 How AI is changing phishing + impersonation ✅ The security checks every social team should run this month
…and more
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🗓 Wed 13 May | 🕔 5pm UK / 12pm ET |
👉 Secure your spot… Limited invites. |
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China blocks Meta's $2bn acquisition of AI startup Manus [GEO-POLITICKING] Meta user numbers dip for first time ever, but its ad machine keeps booming [GHOSTING] UK Government signals sweeping social media restrictions for teens [CURBING] Meta found in breach of EU law for failing to keep kids off Facebook + Instagram [RULE-BREAKING]
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Can Instagram clean up without making a mess?
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Surely it can’t be a coincidence that this happened the same day that it was revealed that Facebook and Instagram are starting to lose users…? |
Instagram has announced it is expanding rules that limit the reach of accounts that rehash other people’s content. This was already in place for Reels but now it will apply to photos and carousels too. |
As The Verge put it, “Instagram says it doesn’t want your tweet round ups”. |
TechCrunch explains: “The update targets content aggregators that don’t post original content and instead simply re-upload others’ posts. By limiting the reach of these accounts, Instagram is looking to boost originality on its app while also working to prevent the same posts from being circulated over and over again.” |
Low-quality content is like low-quality fast food. It might satisfy you in the short term, but it doesn’t nourish you and make you want to consume it again. Clearing aggregators out of our feeds is a positive step for the long-term appeal of Instagram. |
But what about accounts that take existing content and do something fresh with it? Instagram says this is fine and good: |
“When meme creators add humor, social commentary, cultural references, or a relatable take by incorporating elements such as unique text, creative edits, and voiceover on a photo or video, they’re producing something original. |
“The best meme creators take third-party content and make it unmistakably theirs by layering in a perspective, joke, or context that wasn’t there before. This is the kind of creativity we want to continue rewarding.” |
The real question is whether Meta’s AI is good enough and reliable enough to consistently tell the difference between lazy screenshots of other people’s jokes and skilfully adding value to existing content. |
I can imagine some really good accounts getting throttled accidentally here, with no easy way of getting the damage undone. |
Either way, a lot of accounts are going to have to rethink their strategy if they want to keep getting reach on Instagram. Whether that brings growth back to the platform remains to be seen. |
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Meta  / Facebook  |
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The US government ended an investigation into whether Meta could read WhatsApp messages Meta is auto-blocking content instantly, at scale, in some countries including India Meta says your age is no longer a good guide for how you’ll use its platforms. Your life stage is a better indicator Meta threatened to pull its apps out of New Mexico if it is forced to make “technically impractical” changes, such as no end-to-end encryption for children’s chats Meta re-entered crypto, launching stablecoin payouts for Facebook creators using USDC Meta is cracking down on hidden fees in third-party ad platforms Meta now lets you post directly to Threads from Meta Business Suite Facebook has been spotted offering a new navigation bar at the top of the app Facebook is again testing a redesigned UI for profiles and pages featuring a centred profile picture and a larger cover image Facebook now supports a 3x video playback speed Facebook now allows users to mention people in Stories cross-posted from Instagram.
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Instagram  |
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Instagram font pickers for DMs | Credit: @alex193a |
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Instagram extended its original content rules to photos and carousels. Accounts posting recycled memes, tweet dumps, copied visuals will lose Explore and feed reach… … And Instagram published a new guide to original content for creators Instagram is working on new Instagram Plus perks like seeing the exact time someone posted a Story, pinning more posts on your grid, and sneaking a view at a DM without it showing as ‘seen’ …It could also let paid subscribers choose a custom app icon Instagram could soon let you change the font in DMs Instagram’s new Instants app is doing well in Latin America, Adam Mosseri says Instagram is testing new insights that reveal the metrics affecting your views. These include skip rate, share rate and repost rate. Instagram could soon let you edit stories after posting, but the original post will be deleted and all stats will be reset Instagram is now promoting upcoming songs from artists with a special design for the music player and account name Instagram Edits has added new text customisation and saved effects Instagram Edits is testing the ability to try different edits by creating multiple versions of a video
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Threads  / WhatsApp  |
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Threads' upgraded Markup tool | Credit: alex193a |
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Threads is testing the ability to add emoji reactions to specific words in posts, with an upgraded Markup tool Threads now lets you auto-share your posts to your Instagram Story Threads now incorporates trends into the search page and For You feed for US users Threads has added improved tagging for NBA games Threads is working on ‘Link styles’ to customise how link previews look in your posts WhatsApp is building a first-party cloud backup system to replace reliance on Google Drive WhatsApp now lets Indian users top up their mobile phone credit in the app WhatsApp is testing status updates at the top of the Chats tab WhatsApp is working on Android notification bubble support WhatsApp is working on a feature that lets admins share status updates in their channels WhatsApp is working on a feature that brings channels into a dedicated list in the Chats tab
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X / Twitter  |
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X officially launches X Chat app | Credit: X |
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X has officially launched X Chat, its standalone messaging app for iOS users …but it’s more like Messenger than a rival to Signal X is upgrading its ad platform, leaning on AI to improve targeting and campaign workflows X’s banking feature, X Money is close to launch with features like 3% cashback, 6% savings interest., and free transfers X now clearly credits the original creator on reshared videos X is rolling out a new video control menu Elon Musk testified in court that xAI " partly" trained Grok on OpenAI models, something he said is normal industry practice
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TikTok  |
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TikTok’s ‘Campus Hub’ feature for U.S students | Credit: TikTok |
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TikTok is rolling out ‘Campus Hub,’ connecting students across 6,000+ US universities TikTok paused testing of its “Meme Remixer” AI feature on after backlash from creators TikTok rolled out the ability for you to self-manage search keywords on your videos, helping you influence what you rank for TikTok Shop was busy rolling out livestream, AI, and automation features throughout April TikTok’s official BookTok bestseller list has launched in the UK, with Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid topping the first list TikTok is introducing a new ‘Redeem with Tiles’ feature for livestreamers TikTok removed the Posts section for some users. Posts can now be viewed and managed from the Profile page TikTok will be adding custom, temporary chat bubbles for the teams participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup TikTok now lets musicians verify their accounts simply by linking to a verified Spotify profile TikTok now shows you when your profile was verified
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YouTube  |
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YouTube TV’s Multiview feature | Credit: YouTube |
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Netflix  / LinkedIn  / Reddit  |
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Netflix’s new TikTok-style vertical clips feed | Credit: Netflix |
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Netflix is rolling out its new vertical “Clips” feed, mimicking TikTok-style scrolling discovery LinkedIn now lets you filter comments on posts by verified users LinkedIn is expanding Event Ads to promote off-platform events in feed, including webinars and livestreams LinkedIn has been spotted recommending similar videos based on what you have watched before Reddit sparked a backlash after breaking its mobile site to force app downloads Pinterest launched its first CTV ad product letting brands target its audiences off-platform Patreon is evolving from a membership tool to a full discovery platform including short-form ‘Quip’ videos, a new home feed, collabs, and more Tinder introduced iris scans to verify human users and fight AI generated profiles
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Google is trying out an AI Mode-like search experience for YouTube. |
‘Ask YouTube’ is a new way to search that generates an AI Mode-like page of information. |
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Also spotted this week… |
Snapchat launched AI Sponsored Snaps, enabling brands to embed AI agents directly into user’s chats Mark Zuckerberg says Meta is working on AI agents for personal and business use Instagram Edits has integrated AI video generation: creators can generate clips from text prompts, images, or existing videos instantly Meta is rolling out AI connectors, linking ad accounts with tools like ChatGPT and Claude WhatsApp is introducing AI Agents for its business app. The agents can respond to customers 24/7, and more TikTok has rolled out AI dubbing into different languages xAI has added a new “Reimagine” feature for videos in the Grok app Adobe launched an agentic Firefly AI Assistant that can use 60+ tools across Creative Cloud apps Adobe introduced AI-powered object rotation in Photoshop, letting users rotate assets in 3D with realistic lighting CapCut rolled out AI Characters. You can now turn yourself into a character, add a voice and create content.
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Meta’s user numbers have dropped for first time ever |
Daily active users for its family of social apps fell to 3.56B in Q1 2026, down from 3.58B in Q4 Meta says the drop was driven by WhatsApp restrictions in Russia and internet disruptions in Iran. Despite the dip, Meta still reaches over a third of the global population daily. Meta generated $56.3B in revenue (+33% YoY), showing strong monetisation despite lower usage. Meta plans to spend up to $145B on AI in 2026, doubling last year’s $72B — and investors aren’t thrilled Meta says its business AI now facilitates 10M conversations a week Meta’s Reality Labs lost over $4 billion in Q1 2026 Mark Zuckerberg called it a “milestone quarter” as Meta doubles down on AI growth.
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More Q1 2026 result highlights… |
YouTube: |
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YouTube hit nearly $10 billion in Q1 ad revenue, growing +10.7% YOY YouTube Premium now has 125M+ subscribers and continues to see strong growth YouTube now generates $60B+ annually across ads and subscriptions, making it one of the largest media businesses globally. YouTube TV has grown to 10M+ subscribers, making it a major pay-TV platform in the US. YouTube says 200M+ hours of content are watched daily on YouTube and 10M+ channels upload Shorts every day.
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LinkedIn: |
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LinkedIn’s revenue grew +12% YoY, powered by B2B ads and AI hiring tools. It now claims 1.3B members, but still refuses to share active user numbers Content is ramping up, with posts up 14% YoY and more knowledge-sharing. Paid video is up 30% YoY as creators and brands lean into video.
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Reddit: |
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Reddit posted a huge 69% revenue growth to $663M in Q1 2026. Reddit now has 126.8M daily users, up 17% YoY, and nearly 500M weekly users, up +23% YOY.
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Weird plush toy Emy has taken over Instagram with viral stunt content. |
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I explained to Business Insider how the viral account used interactive hunts, memes, and challenges to hook Gen Z…
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Big news events almost always seem to bring out the engagement-hungry conspiracy theorists… |
And last weekend’s gunman at the White House Correspondents Dinner was no exception. |
Social media lit up with ‘information’ about the alleged shooter. He’s worked for almost every US sports team, apparently! |
Busy boy. |
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Also viral this week: |
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Brands like Skittles are creating content designed to be clipped into viral short-form moments. |
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More brand news and views: |
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"Calling him ‘Scam’ Altman is accurate” |
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Also quoted this week: |
“Control your propensity to use social media to make things worse outside this courtroom” |
- The judge overseeing the court case Elon Musk has brought against OpenAI tells Musk, Altman, and co to keep the drama in the courtroom |
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“It’s very simple: it’s not okay to steal a charity. That’s my view and moreover if the defendants are found not guilty, this case will become case law. It will become precedent and give precedent to looting every charity in America.” |
- Elon Musk was typically OTT in court as the OpenAI trial began |
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“There’s no artificial intelligence without actual intelligence. The knowledge has to come from somewhere, and Reddit is one of the primary sources for that sort of information that AIs crave, but also that people crave.” |
- Reddit CEO Steve Huffman explains how the company sees itself in the AI age |
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“28 days of hell” |
- A Meta employee describes the impact of the company pre-announcing massive layoffs a month ahead |
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“A government-mandated transfer of wealth from one industry to another, with no connection to the value exchanged, will not deliver a sustainable or innovative news sector.” |
- Meta hits back at Australian plans to force big tech to pay to link to news publishers (yep, that dumb old chestnut) |
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“I just saw Instagram Plus launch… the latest rip… we just hit 25M subscribers on Snapchat+, more than $1B revenue run rate. So it was probably enough to get Meta's attention that it's a good time to copy" |
- Evan Spiegel is never afraid to call out when Instagram copies Snapchat |
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“People are massively underestimating the role that human adoption and human comfort with advances in artificial intelligence will determine its deployment. I think technology leaders think that folks will just blindly adopt new technology as it comes out." |
- Evan Spiegel offered a reality check on AI hype |
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If you think running a celebrity fan page on social media is a cakewalk, think again. |
Running celeb fan pages has become a 24/7 grind, with nonstop posting and monitoring…. |
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Also: |
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Vine is back thanks to Jack Dorsey’s reboot Divine, which opened to the public this week. |
Divine brings back 500,000 archived classic Vine videos on iOS, Android. |
Users can post new six-second loops, build compilations, explore hashtags. |
The platform blocks AI content, focusing on real creators and authentic internet culture. |
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Also this week: |
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This is a WILD bug. |
Facebook users have reported a bizarre glitch that adds Gen Z slang to their posts. |
Random phrases like “That design is so cooked!” appear with no user input. |
Meta confirmed it’s investigating, pointing to AI caption features as the likely culprit. |
No official fix exists, so users must manually delete the cringe after posting. |
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More WTF this week: |
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Responsible for growing an Instagram account right now? |
These are the tools you need to check out, curated by Buffer. |
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Also this week: |
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6 BILLION |
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More social stats: |
SCAM NATION: A new FTC report reveals Americans lost $2.1 billion to social media scams in 2025, up 8x since 2020 BIG NEWS: The BBC is now the largest English language news publisher on YouTube with 19.7 million subscribers REEL DEAL: Instagram Reels now deliver one-third of social ad impressions AD IT UP: Google, Meta and Amazon took two thirds of £46bn UK 2025 adspend WATCH IT: YouTube leads video platform reach in the US with 83% of Gen Z and 78% of Millennials using it WATCH TOGETHER: 57% of US parents co-view YouTube with their teen(s) multiple times a week DOOM’S ROLE: Doomscrolling affects 64% of Americans, harming focus, sleep, mental health
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A new Harvard study shows rage wins on X, with angry political posts surging… |
Data shows anger has exploded on X, with political posts rising from 20% to 50% |
Analysis of 3M posts from 1.4M users confirmed outrage now dominates both content and reactions on Musk’s platform. |
The data also revealed angry posts drive higher repost rates and increase support for divisive political policies |
The shift accelerated after 2016, reinforcing X as a rage-fueled platform |
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Also charted this week: |
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Also spotted this week… |
Meta joined forces with the FBI, Dubai Police, and global agencies to smash a crypto scam network. [Social Media Today] Meta is exploring expansion into CTV advertising, having held partner talks since early 2025. [DigiDay $$$] Meta signed a deal with Overview Energy to beam solar power from space using satellites. [TechCrunch] Meta will run some servers longer in response to memory shortage. [Wall Street Journal $$$] Personal finance guru Martin Lewis says Meta scam ads stealing his name are “worse than ever”. [Press Gazette] The EU is pushing member countries to adopt its age-verification app to enforce social media restrictions. [Politico] UK Liberal Democrats have proposed banning MPs from earning money through X. [The Guardian] Greece is pushing to kill anonymous social media accounts ahead of elections. [CNet] The Canadian province of Manitoba could ban social media and AI chatbots for kids. [Engadget] Two college kids have raised a $5.1 million pre-seed round to build an AI social network in iMessage. [TechCrunch] Over 700 workers at Meta contractor Covalen in Ireland face layoffs as AI expands. [Wired $$$] Pinterest is rewriting its AI playbook with a hybrid approach, mixing open-source, closed, and proprietary models. [Business Insider $$$] Evan Spiegel says AI now generates over two-thirds of Snap’s new code. [Business Insider $$$] Former X CEO Linda Yaccarino still defends her old employer. [AdWeek $$$]
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AI influencers are exploding on TikTok and Instagram, letting anyone fake fame fast. |
Users are creating avatars to chase brand deals, sometimes altering race, age, identity to boost reach. |
Despite backlash, engagement, followers, and revenue keep flowing to AI personas. |
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Also worth a read: |
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British farmer Alex Birch has beef with influencers… 🐄 |
He says he now plans to crossbreed his “cute” Highland cows to make them less photogenic… because influencers keep hugging them. |
People have been flocking to his Derbyshire farm, filming content and disturbing animals. |
“My cows don’t get any peace,” the farmer said. |
Officials have warned cattle are dangerous… but that viral content sure is tempting! |
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And on that udderly ridiculous note, let’s wrap up this week’s Geekout. |
My BIG mistake |
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Last Friday night, I asked my fiancée Sarah a very normal, very harmless question:
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“Who’s your celebrity crush?” |
She then told me about a international DJ, and former Celebs Go Dating star, Tom Zanetti, who she’s been obsessed with for the past 20 years… |
…who appears to have had fun on his flight to Ibiza last night: 😂
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So, naturally, because I am basically an idiot with WiFi most of the time, I messaged him on Instagram. |
Just a casual DM. Nothing dramatic. Just me informing a global DJ that my fiancée has been fan-girling over him for two decades. |
What could possibly go wrong? |
To my surprise, he replied. |
Then he sent Sarah a video message. |
At this point, Sarah’s brain basically left her body. |
But then, after a few follow-up DMs, this happened:
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He asked if I could help him with his socials. |
Fast forward a couple of days and he’d sent me his mobile number, set up a video call, and started planning a meeting with his team. |
Sarah’s jaw hit the floor. |
Then I told her he’d agreed (maybe only in jest) to DJ at our wedding in return for me helping him with a few things on his socials:
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So what’s the big mistake? |
Most people have a celebrity crush. Their partners usually feel safe knowing they are highly unlikely to ever meet them in real life. |
I, however, appear to have arranged for Sarah’s celebrity crush to have my number, join our wedding, DJ the party, and be worshipped by her and all her mates while I stand nearby pretending this was a smart business decision. |
I may come to regret ever sending that DM! |
P.S. Tom is about to open a new restaurant in Marbella that looks sick. Worth checking out. |
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P.S. This newsletter is edited by Martin SFP Bryant |
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