Now Facebook to be Called Meta : Mark Zuckerberg
"We've learned a lot from battling with social issues and living under restricted platforms," Mark Zuckerberg said at an annual developers conference. "Now it's time to take what we've learned and help construct the next chapter," he said.
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, announced on Thursday that the parent company’s name will be changed to “Meta” to signify a future beyond the embattled social network.
The new moniker comes as the social media behemoth strives to recover from one of its most serious crises to focus on its vision for the “metaverse,” a virtual reality version of the internet that the tech behemoth views as the way of the future.
The names of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp will not change as a result of the rebranding.
“We’ve learned a lot from battling with societal issues and living under restricted platforms,” Zuckerberg said at an annual developers conference. “Now it’s time to utilize what we’ve learned and help construct the next chapter,” he added.
“I am pleased to report that our company has changed its name to Meta as of today. Our mission hasn’t changed: it’s still about bringing people together, and our apps and brands haven’t changed either “Added he.
Last week, Facebook opponents jumped on a report that revealed the rebranding plans, claiming the firm was attempting to divert attention away from recent scandals and controversy.
The Real Facebook Oversight Board, an activist group, has warned that large sectors like oil and tobacco have rebranded to “deflect attention” from their problems.
“Facebook believes that a rebrand will enable them to shift the focus,” the organization stated last week, adding that the “true issue” was the need for monitoring and regulation.
Facebook recently announced ambitions to hire 10,000 workers in the European Union to help construct the “metaverse,” with Zuckerberg emerging as a proponent of the concept.
Crisis mode is on.
Since former employee Frances Haugen disclosed reams of internal papers proving management were aware of their services’ potential for harm, the social media giant has been embroiled in a new crisis, triggering a renewed US campaign for legislation.
Although Facebook has faced severe crises in the past, the current look behind the curtain of the closed firm has sparked a frenzy of critical reports and scrutiny from US regulators.
“Good faith criticism helps us improve,” Zuckerberg said on Monday, “but my sense is that what we’re witnessing is a coordinated effort to selectively utilize leaked documents to present a false picture of our firm.”
Facebook’s interest in the metaverse, according to the Washington Post, is “part of a broader campaign to rehabilitate the company’s reputation with politicians and reposition Facebook to shape the regulation of next-wave Internet technology.”
