The Friday Five: 'Goodbye Meta AI' hoax dupes thousands, Huel hit with 3rd ad ban, and social media owners threaten trusted news

Hello and welcome back to The Friday Five.

As we come to the end of September and question how it is already nearly October (seriously, where did that month go?), we have broken down the most important digital marketing stories from this past week.?

Today we take a look at the new viral social media hoax that has duped 600,000 people, including celebrities.

We also look at a report that found social media to be a big threat to trustworthy news, Huel’s three recent ad bans, the rise in GenZ slang in corporate advertisements, and the increase in problematic social media behaviour in young people.?

As you can tell we have a lot to get through this week. Let’s get going, shall we?

1. 'Goodbye Meta AI' viral hoax dupes 600,000 online including celebs like James McAvoy and Tom Brady

Celebrities James McAvoy and Tom Brady are among the 600,000 people who have fallen victim to a new viral hoax - ‘Goodbye Meta AI’.

The hoax suggests that users should repost a specific message and reposting will block meta apps, such as Instagram and Facebook, from using their data for AI purposes.?

Opting out of AI training is only possible by manually doing so in account settings.

The message being shared publicly has no effect. Lead Stories, one of Meta’s third-party fact-checking sites, has declared the messages as ‘false information’.?

Although we have seen hoaxes of a similar nature circulate on social media before, it is rare for so many high-profile people to fall victim.

The hoax only began to gain traction after celebrities re-posted the message; Google reported a spike in searches for? ‘Google Meta AI’ after the 24th of September.?

For more on this story, please visit BBC News .

2. Fact or Fiction? Report suggests social media owners are one of the biggest threats to trustworthy news

The International Panel on the Information Environment (IPIE) has expressed concern about the power and control social media platforms have over the spread of misinformation.?

The panel’s report cited X, Meta’s low priority in moderating non-English content, and The Chinese government’s possible influence over TikTok as threats to a trustworthy online news environment.

Over two-thirds of the experts involved in the study predicted that the spread of misinformation will worsen due to AI. The report stated ‘generative AI tools have offered novel opportunities to produce propaganda at scale.’

Despite concerns, many experts also noted the benefit of AI for monitoring and identifying misleading content.

Solutions such as the promotion of free media, encouraging fact-checking, and labelling misleading information were presented in the report.?

To learn more, visit The Guardian .

3. Another day, another Huel ad ban: Brand punished for further 'misleading' claims

Huel’s latest ad ban comes after the company posted an Instagram video of founder Julian Hearn comparing Huel’s new product to fresh vegetables.

Hearn claims the product is ‘substantially cheaper’ and offers similar health benefits to fresh veg.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned the advert labelling the content as misleading given that Huel could not provide evidence to justify these claims.??

Huel argued an ‘editing error’ was the problem but took no responsibility for not meeting advertising standards.?

This isn’t the first time Huel has faced bans for the ASA. Two ads, featuring celebrity Stephen Bartlett, were banned in August, as they failed to acknowledge his financial interest in the company.?

Discover more on Just Food .

4. From slang to sales: The rise of Gen Z slang in corporate advertisement

If you’re active on TikTok, you might have seen the viral trend when middle-aged managers or CEOs awkwardly deliver Gen Z slang.

The videos, featuring a funny generational crossover, have amused millions of people and have been extremely successful for many brands.?

This marketing tactic allows companies to engage with younger audiences and increase reach with their content. Despite some brands hitting the mark with this trend, others have not been as successful.?

Over 70% of marketers plan to focus on trend-based content over the next year. As more and more businesses jump on trends the challenge of keeping up-to-date and relevant with content remains.

Trends fly by quickly, so companies need to make sure they post at the right time.?

Read more at Fast Company .

5. Social media continues to be growing problem for younger people?

The Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) found ‘problematic’ social media use in young people is rising significantly.? They surveyed 280,000 children aged 11, 13, and 15, across 44 countries.?

The amount of children exhibiting problematic social media behaviour increased from 7% in 2018 to 11% in 2022.

It appears that problematic use was most common in 13-year-old girls, as they neglected other activities, argued over the use of social media, and could not control the time they spent online. 15% of teenagers also exhibited ‘problematic gaming’ behaviours.?

Stronger peer support and increased social connection were connected to non-problematic social media users.?

HBSC urges for more digital education and involvement from governments and educators to promote healthy online behaviour.?

Learn more on BBC News .

And there we have it! Another Friday Five is all done and dusted but don’t worry we will be here next Friday with even more digital marketing news stories! Subscribe now to make sure you don’t miss it.

Have a lovely weekend and we will see you in October - bye for now!?