On October 28, 2021, Facebook announced that it has changed its name to Meta. The Facebook Connect augmented and virtual reality conference is where the name change was revealed. Facebook’s choice to change its name to Meta demonstrates the company’s perception of potential growth outside of its namesake social media platform. 

According to Zuckerberg, the name “meta” was inspired by his love of the classics and derives from the Greek word for “beyond.” According to a statement, the company’s “apps and technologies will be brought under one new company brand” as a result of the name change. It declared that it would keep the same corporate structure. 

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The act of is a nod to the metaverse, an immersive future internet that mainly utilizes virtual reality technology. You might engage with virtual versions of actual people, places, and businesses, giving the impression that you are physically present, rather than just surfing or sending messages online. The rebrand was necessary, according to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, because the existing brand could not “possibly represent everything that we are doing today, let alone in the future.”

“To reflect who we are and the future we hope to build,” said Zuckerberg, “I’m proud to share that our company is now Meta.” 

In addition, the company revealed a new sign at its Menlo Park, California, headquarters, replacing the thumbs-up “Like” logo for a blue infinity shape. 

Frances Haugen, a whistleblower and former employee of Facebook, released documents that she said demonstrated that the company prioritized profit over user security in the most recent incident at that time. In recent weeks , Haugen has testified prior to a US Senate subcommittee and lawmakers in the UK Parliament. The documents, according to Zuckerberg, are being exploited to present a “false picture.”

The concern of whether or not Facebook will change for users is raised by the name change of the social media platform. No, it does not. For its users, Facebook would stay just as it had been prior to Zuckerberg’s announcement of Meta. The app’s functionality won’t be changed in any way. There has not been any announcement of new features or layouts, and the usage rules will stay the same. The other Facebook-owned apps, such as WhatsApp and Instagram, would not be affected by the name change either. 
According to Zuckerberg, within the next decade the metaverse technology will reach a billion people.