When Zuckerberg Met(a) Facebook

What in the world just happened? Facebook is changing names!

Last month, in what feels like it should have been more of an earthshaking moment, Mark Zuckerberg announced in a series of public conferences, that Facebook would now be named Meta Platforms, Inc. It was not to be just a cosmetic name change. The change went deeper than just a name and logo.

The existing Social Media and communications platforms - Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp - will take up half of Meta. The other half will be dedicated to the construction of a metaverse. Just what in the heck is a "metaverse", you may ask? Tt is a virtual world where, if Zuckerberg achieves his vision, users can interact with an augmented or virtual reality environment in real-time. Hence, "Meta".

A metaverse!

Cynically, of course, one could see this as a matter of branding for Zuckerberg, nothing more. If he's to be believed, this was the direction they were heading all along and the name change is just meant to reflect that. The problem, according to him, is that Facebook is currently seen a a Social Media company. (No shit, really?!)

This move might prove to be worthwhile for Zuckerberg. After all, the abovementioned platforms all depend on mobile technology for propagation. That makes Facebook, as a company, vulnerable to the rules imposed by Google and Apple. And we all know Facebook has faced strong opposition to both entities in the recent past.

But what if Zuckerberg were able to pivot Facebook to a new kind of platform, one which wasn't dominated by Google and Apple? I'm not even gonna front - the possibilities are, to say the least, intriguing.

The Meta-conclusion

Honestly, I can't see the name change sticking. We're talking about over ten years' worth of inertia at this point. And let's be real here - "Meta" isn't exactly catchy or original. And the less said about the sheer lameness of the logo, the better. Seriously, were they maybe hoping to be as unimpressive as possible?

What's more pertinent, however, is the nature of Facebook's - ahem, excuse me, Meta's - business model. If they are truly pivoting to virtual reality, that is a huge deal if they manage to pull it off. Will they? The technology is there, but how much of it could truly permeate a market where internet strength can be spotty at best? Your guess is as good as mine.

It's been real,
T___T