Weekly Download #110: Facebook now charges you to share links?

Hey , it’s Sunday, December 28, and the internet is somehow getting weirder and more useful at the same time.

Between Facebook testing a paywall on basic link posts, OpenAI turning your ChatGPT history into a Wrapped-style ego check, and Microsoft trying to make Windows handhelds not suck, this week is stacked with stuff you’ll actually care about.

In this issue: how Meta is quietly turning Facebook into a toll road for creators, the one AI recap you should actually click, a wild Fast Five (including teens who can’t read clocks), and some gear and tools to make your digital life a little less painful.

Alright, and we’re off!

Partner Message

The Future of Shopping? AI + Actual Humans.

AI has changed how consumers shop by speeding up research. But one thing hasn’t changed: shoppers still trust people more than AI.

Levanta’s new Affiliate 3.0 Consumer Report reveals a major shift in how shoppers blend AI tools with human influence. Consumers use AI to explore options, but when it comes time to buy, they still turn to creators, communities, and real experiences to validate their decisions.

The data shows:

• Only 10% of shoppers buy through AI-recommended links

• 87% discover products through creators, blogs, or communities they trust

• Human sources like reviews and creators rank higher in trust than AI recommendations

The most effective brands are combining AI discovery with authentic human influence to drive measurable conversions.

Affiliate marketing isn’t being replaced by AI, it’s being amplified by it.

Download the full report to see what this means for your brand.

📝 How-To

Your ChatGPT Year-in-Review Is Here. Here’s How to Find It

OpenAI rolled out “Your Year with ChatGPT,” a Wrapped-style recap that turns your prompts into stats, goofy awards, an AI poem, and a custom image. It works for Free, Plus, and Pro users as long as chat history (and, ideally, memories) are turned on.

How to get it

1. Open ChatGPT on web or mobile.​

2. Look for the “Your Year with ChatGPT” / “Year in Review” card on the home screen and click it.​

3. If you don’t see it, start a new chat and type “Your Year with ChatGPT” to trigger the recap.​

4. Available in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand—for now

📩 Newsletters Worth Reading

Big Desk Energy
Startup insights, stories, and vibes sent to your inbox every Tuesday. [LINK]

Turing Post
For smart people building AI and with AI. [LINK]

Five Minute Daily
Everything you need to know for the day in just five minutes [LINK]

📩 Gear of the Week

MIZUDO WiFi RO Water Filter:

Smart water filtration for families who want clean drinking water without the guesswork. Monitor filter life, TDS levels, and daily usage from your phone while 9-stage filtration removes 1,000+ contaminants. 800 GPD capacity, 30% less cabinet space, NSF certified. 17% off through 12/20. [LINK]

📚 Tech Terms Worth Knowing

Agentic AI
(noun)

Definition: A more autonomous kind of AI that can plan, take multi-step actions, and use tools or apps on your behalf, instead of just replying to prompts.

Usage: "Marketing teams are already testing agentic AI to research competitors, draft campaigns, and schedule posts without a human clicking every button."

📰 The Big One

Facebook wants you to pay to post links now

Some Facebook Pages and Professional Mode profiles are being capped at two external link posts per month.

​To post more links, Meta is nudging them into a Meta Verified subscription, starting around 14.99 USD / 9.99 GBP a month.

Meta calls it a “limited test” to see if more link posts are a perk worth paying for.

Who’s hit and who’s not:

The cap currently targets creators and business-style accounts, not standard personal profiles. Publishers’ own Pages are mostly excluded, but they’ll still feel it if regular users can’t freely share their stories.

​Links in comments and links to Instagram/WhatsApp still don’t count toward the limit.​

Why it matters:

For creators, bloggers, and small businesses, Facebook is becoming less of a free traffic hose and more of a toll road.

​For Meta, link posts are already a tiny slice of overall views, so it can charge for them without hurting its engagement stats [LINK]

⚡ Fast Five

1.) YouTube TV wins best live TV streaming service
YouTube TV has been named the best live TV streaming service of 2025 by the Cordie Awards [LINK]

2.) Psychiatrists link AI chatbots to psychosis cases
Leading psychiatrists are increasingly linking extended use of AI chatbots to psychosis cases [LINK]

3.) NYC smartphone ban reveals teens can't read analog clocks
New York City teachers are confronting an unexpected consequence of the city's smartphone ban [LINK]

4.) Major retailers now charge fees for holiday gift returns
American shoppers hoping to return unwanted Christmas gifts face a new reality this week [LINK].

5.) Apple discontinues 25 products, ending iPhone SE era
Apple has axed 25 products in 2025—including the iPhone SE—marking the end of an era [LINK]

PARTNER MESSAGE

Here’s an un-boring way to invest that billionaires have quietly leveraged for decades

If you have enough money that you think about buckets for your capital…

Ever invest in something you know will have low returns—just for the sake of diversifying?

CDs… Bonds… REITs… :(

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It outpaced the S&P 500 (!) overall WITH low correlation to stocks, 1995 to 2025.*

It’s not private equity or real estate. Surprisingly, it’s postwar and contemporary art.

And since 2019, over 70,000 people have started investing in SHARES of artworks featuring legends like Banksy, Basquiat, and Picasso through a platform called Masterworks.

• 23 exits to date

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• Annualized net returns like 17.6%, 17.8%, and 21.5%

My subscribers can SKIP their waitlist and invest in blue-chip art.

Just click this link

_{Investing involves risk. Past performance not indicative of future returns. Reg A disclosures at masterworks.com/cd}

💾 Extra Bytes

Uber’s driver screening is a mess, and it’s putting riders in danger [LINK]

Google says Gemini will replace Assistant on phones in 2026 [LINK]

YouTube finally pulls the plug on AI movie trailers that never existed [LINK]

Sling TV now offers 1-day, 3-day, and 7-day passes [LINK]

AI gets the blame for 55,000 layoffs, but CFOs are the real culprits [LINK]

Pirate library leaks more than 86 million of Spotify’s popular songs [LINK]

Italy slaps Apple with $115 million fine over App Store privacy rules [LINK]

⚙️ Tools

Claude in Chrome: Navigate, click buttons, and fill forms in your browser [LINK].

Flowdrop: Turn plain English into working automations and workflows. [LINK]

Opivault: AI personal financial advisor [LINK]

SocialBee: AI-powered social media tool. [LINK]

Thanks for reading!

Alright! Thanks for getting all the way to the end. Until next week…….

-Kevin

📌 Partner Disclaimer: We may earn a commission if you purchase something through our links or sign up for any services. This is one way we support The Weekly Download