So, Facebook
got rebranded with a new name. It is now ‘Meta.’ Easy on the tongues, but still
not easy to recall when we heard the word ‘Facebook.’ Lighthearted talk apart.
It’s an attempt to get ownership of the metaverse. It is a 3D concept of the
internet that takes you to places while sitting or standing in your space.
Several digital companies are working on creating their unique spaces in the
most extensive virtual reality zone.
There will be a lot of confusion and
chaos in the upcoming months. So, be prepared for the better or worse. Billions
of people around the world use Facebook. As well, several products that come
under its banner. So, what will be the consequences that Zuckerberg and the
team might have to face during the full-scale “titular” transition?
Why ‘Facebook,’ sorry, Meta
went abruptly with ‘above and beyond’ changes?
After a lot of gossip and rumors,
the rebranding of Facebook came under the spotlight on 28 October 2021. The
company that owns WhatsApp, Instagram, and the largest social platform globally
is going full-time ‘Meta.’ Mark Zuckerberg addressed the audiences sitting at
Facebook’s Annual Connect Conference. The co-creator acknowledged the
limitations of their brand. According to him, it was linked to only one
product. Subsequently, tell the attendees how the biggest social media platform
can represent the future tech with a “minimal” brand name? Therefore, acquiring
the metaverse first-half that incorporated every future technology under its
belt.
The Facebook subsidiary applications
like WhatsApp, Instagram, and its emblematic social networking platform will remain
the same. However, Facebook will see a full-fledged transfiguration, becoming
the “infinity M-swirled,” Meta. It is the primary reason many American web coders are trying to get into Menlo Park in
California, Facebook HQ location.
But, what is‘ metaverse’ all
about?
The title was ideal for emanating
the central element, according to Zuckerberg. Meta will represent the broader
sense of the internet. In simple terms, it’s the 3D virtual space where
everybody can enjoy open-world freedom full of “make-believe” opportunities.
People will teleport to their
workplace without requiring travel. They will instantly go to and fro with
holographic technologies. In the same way, you can meet up with friends at a
concert or join your parents sitting in the living room in their homes. Nowadays,
every web development company tries to give its customers the best immersive
“metaverse” experiences.
Why did Zuckerberg choose
‘Meta?’
For one thing, Meta doesn’t want to
be known solely as a social media platform. “My main
concern is about owning the operating system after a few years. Facebook
doesn’t want to act like an app. At the same time, its rivals become popular
operating systems of the future,” according to Anupam Chander, a professor at
Georgetown University Law Centre in Washington DC.
Apple Inc. did not lean towards
referencing the metaverse in anyways. The authorities were reluctant to charge
more money for the next “BIG THING” under its banner. University of Oxford’s
professor Max Van Kleek doesn’t think ‘Meta’ can own the whole metaverse. He
went further by saying: “Is Meta going to provide the tools rather than be the
doorkeeper simply? I highly doubt that they would give up anything that might
compromise their position as the decisive advertisement provider of the
metaverse.”
Facebook (META) needs to take
care of many things beforehand!
“All the corrupt journalists and
other political skirmishes it is currently fighting, which have to do with its
social networking products. Hence, launching something completely new – in
their minds. It is a way to completely rebrand and commence with a head start,
without changing much with the existing problematic products.” Taina Bucher
stated it at the University of Oslo, Norway, and author of the book Facebook.
On the other hand, Chander sees it as
a way to oversee instead of overemphasizing it. The issue was disclosed in the
Facebook Papers. He further exclaimed: “I think this is Facebook trying to
pretend that there aren’t strong headwinds and carrying on as if those
headwinds didn’t exist.”
Several negative stories are taking
the lead after the release of the Facebook Papers’ internal documents. Besides
that, according to Frances Haugen, there are countless company issues, a
whistleblower of tech firms. Others have seen the new “title” as a way to
divert themselves from the narrative.
What is the future of
Facebook’s Meta?
One major issue is that Meta is
trying to become the torchbearer of the metaverse. It is the primary reason
they will have to play an essential role in transforming peoples’ future
vision. Nonetheless, the company has been struggling to provide smooth
communication to users around the globe over the last few years. If these same
problems occur in the metaverse, it would have far more consequences than what
we see today.
“The whole concept of the metaverse is imaginary and childish,” says Bucher. “It takes a lot of far-reaching expectations about how people live their lives. I’m 100% sure not everybody would be so excited about [having it in] their living rooms.”