In a move that shows how inclined Mark Zuckerberg is to transition towards a future built on his ambitious vision for the virtual reality space, Facebook has rebranded itself as Meta.
Explaining how the name Facebook does not represent the business and technological shift the company has made recently, Zuckerberg announced that the rebranding would be all-encompassing. So, when users access any company services away from the traditional social platforms, they will have to resort to the new Meta branding.
“Right now, our brand is so tightly linked to one product that it can’t possibly represent everything we are doing today, let alone in the future,” commented Zuckerberg.
The rebranding move does come as a surprise, considering how Facebook has carved itself into the memories of global customers. But Zuckerberg’s love for the metaverse has been out in the open for a while now.
Recent headlines related to the Facebook Papers may make Zuckerberg’s announcement seem an attempt at a diversion. Still, it is also equally valid that Facebook has been actively experimenting in the Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality space for some time now. Considering recent developments in the VR space, the rebranding to Meta does qualify as a timely move towards the metaverse.
Since last year, the company has prioritized the shift towards Horizon Homes, Workrooms, and Venues, and select customers have even experienced the new VR platforms through special invites.
With the rebranding, Meta also promises more advanced and robust security, privacy, and parental controls.
So, will you have to adopt the new name Meta to access your everyday apps too? The answer is an emphatic no. The rebranding only applies to the company’s experiments in the virtual computer-generated space and any other business inroads the entity may make in the direction.
Meta will also be reporting on the current family of apps, including Instagram, WhatsApp, and even Facebook in its original form as a social platform. This umbrella will also include Reality Labs.
There will also be no restructuring of the current corporate blueprint.
A New Future Only to Leave Bad News Behind?
Facebook and its ambitious CEO have recently been in the news for all the wrong reasons – read the buzz around the leaked Facebook Papers.
Facebook’s failure to address internal warnings associated with the harmful effects of social network algorithms has been making headlines. And the rebranding move is being viewed by skeptics as a foil to inspire fresh headlines and move the spotlight away from lawmakers and regulators baying for a more regulated and controlled Facebook. However, considering the company’s recent advancements towards VR, it was only a matter of time before a name directly related to the metaverse made headlines.