Facebook, still desperately trying to outrun its deeply problematic public image just took the next predictable step to make sure you forget what they’ve done.
Rebrand.
(Yes, we embedded the tweet. Take that Facebook or Meta or whatever.)
Say hello to Meta.
Commander Data cosplayer and Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg announced the new company name and direction during their streaming Connect event on Thursday morning. In a nutshell, Meta will be the umbrella company that will own and run Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, and the other apps in the formerly-known-as-Facebook family.
According to the front page of Meta.com, the ~Metaverse~ “will be social” and include “3D spaces that will let you learn, collaborate and play in ways that go beyond what we can imagine.” In fact, there’s nary a word about fixing newsfeeds or algorithms. Instead, it’s all about new, barely existent hardware-dependent technologies like VR, AR, and Smart Glasses.
It’s only once you get to the very bottom of the statement that you can find any mention of social responsibility - but SMART GLASSES, Y’ALL!
Anyway, if there’s anything else you can count on, like death and taxes, it’s people flocking to Twitter to absolutely drag anything new created by the internet’s biggest villain.
Here are some of our favorites:
Oof.
Only time will tell if a new name will be enough to insulate Facebook or Meta from its previous behavior - or future litigation.
