The past few weeks have held rumblings of an imminent Facebook name change, and that day has finally arrived. Revealed earlier today during the Facebook Connect 2021 presentation, we now know what the company’s new name is: Meta. A clear play toward the forthcoming metaverse, this move also distances the company from Facebook as a service.
If you haven’t been following the news, then this all may seem a bit confusing. Facebook, as the company was known before today, has many products and services under its umbrella. But Facebook is also, itself, a product/service. As the business grew, so did the parent company’s offerings — but they were all lumped together and associated with another product, not necessarily an organization.
Put very simply, Meta is now the name of Facebook’s parent company. Put another way, the name change helps keep the website distinct from the business organization.
As for why the change was made, that depends on who you ask. Facebook is certainly in troubled waters right now; the service is practically mired in scandals. As such, it makes plenty of sense for the parent company (if you will) to give it some distance. However, that isn’t the reason Meta is providing for the Facebook name change.
It’s all about the metaverse
Instead, the name change to Meta is meant to put a greater emphasis on the vision of the metaverse. The metaverse is effectively billed as a new virtual world — a more immersive way to enjoy internet activities. It’s a huge project for the company, and one it sees as “the next chapter of social connection.”
Announcing @Meta — the Facebook company’s new name. Meta is helping to build the metaverse, a place where we’ll play and connect in 3D. Welcome to the next chapter of social connection. pic.twitter.com/ywSJPLsCoD
— Meta (@Meta) October 28, 2021
The whole idea is frankly very lofty. Ambitious is another good word, which is why Meta has employed so many programmers and developers from around the world to make it happen. It’s just that, especially judging from the presentation, the technology just isn’t there yet. This is a far-reaching project, and it certainly won’t materialize for years to come.
Either way, Facebook is now called Meta. Except Facebook itself isn’t; it’s still called Facebook; the company is called Meta. You shouldn’t have any trouble remembering it, though, because the team is likely to keep us updated on metaverse development for years — decades, even — to come.
