Facebook news - live: Daily Show pokes fun at Facebook’s name change to Meta
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Facebook has announced it will change its name to “Meta” as part of a major rebrand.
The new name is an attempt to focus on the metaverse that Facebook says will be the future of social networking.
But it is also likely an attempt to move on from the intense scrutiny and criticism it has faced in recent weeks and years, which has focused on everything from privacy to the damage it is doing to young people.
The blue app will continue to be known as Facebook, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said. But the branding will be removed from everywhere else, such as the WhatsApp and Instagram.
All of those various apps will now instead live under the “Meta” brand, with Facebook just one of those many different apps.
Mr Zuckerberg published a “Founders Letter” explaining his reasonings for the rebrand, and noted that he would not be stepping down as CEO of the company.
Some journalists have treated the rebrand with a hefty dose of skepticism, even calling on other reporters to ignore the change and to continue referring to the company as “Facebook.”
The name change is Facebook’s second. In 2005, the company changed it’s name from theFacebook to just “Facebook.”
Facebook provides “sneak peak” into what they hope Meta will become
Facebook provided a video meant to visualise what it hopes Meta will become.
The video featured a combination of virtual reality-like and augmented reality interactions using avatars in a digital space.
Zuckerberg denies bad news cycle drove company name change
According to Mr Zuckerberg, the current cycle of negative Facebook news “had nothing to bear on this.”
“Even though I think some people might want to make that connection, I think that’s sort of a ridiculous thing. If anything, I think that this is not the environment that you would want to introduce a new brand in,” he said in an interview with The Verge.
Facebook ridiculed for changing its name to Meta
Twitter users were quick to ridicule Facebook for changing its corporate name to Meta following a tidal wave of criticism and scandalous revelations.
“Facebook just changed their name to META. Honestly this is insane news,” one Twitter user wrote.
Another added that Mark Zuckerbeg had “a bottle of Sweet Baby Ray’s on the bookshelf as he announces Facebook’s rebrand to Meta. If this isn’t proof we are in a simulation [I don’t know] what is”
Gustaf Kilander has the story.
Facebook ridiculed for changing its name
Former White House advisor tweets that Zuckerberg ‘will now do less controversial things like build a new virtual universe where he can be king’
New sign already up at Facebook headquarters in California
The old Facebook ‘”like” image is gone from the company’s Menlo Park headquarters and has already been replaced with the new “Meta” logo.
What is next for FAANG?
With Facebook changing its name to Meta, what will happen to the term “FAANG”, an acronym used for all of the tech giants?
The term, used often as an industry shorthand in the media, stood for Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google, but that will surely need to be adjusted now that Facebook is becoming Meta.
Obama senior adviser mocks Facebook rebrand
“Facebook is one of the least liked, least trusted companies on the planet,” tweeted Dan Pfeiffer.
“They are in the middle of a massive scandal about their involvement in genocide, human trafficking, and disinformation. And their next move is to say: ‘What if you could live inside Facebook?’”
AOC blasts Facebook as ‘cancer to democracy’ as it changes name to Meta
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has blasted Facebook as a ‘cancer to democracy’ and mocked its announcement the company is changing its name to Meta.
“Meta as in “we are a cancer to democracy metastasizing into a global surveillance and propaganda machine for boosting authoritarian regimes and destroying civil society… for profit!” the New York lawmaker tweeted.
Twitter mocks Facebook’s Meta name change
Twitter has mocked Facebook’s name change to Meta on its own social media platform.
“The only #META we acknowledge is this,” the Twitter Safety Account posted along with an article on Twitter’s Machine Learning, Ethics, Transparency and Accountability team.
Twitter mocks Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement on Facebook name change
Twitter has mocked Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement that Facebook is changing its name to Meta on its own social media platform.
“The only #META we acknowledge is this,” the Twitter Safety Account posted along with an article on Twitter’s Machine Learning, Ethics, Transparency and Accountability team.
The Facebook boss said on Thursday that the company’s name change was part of its commitment to its “metaverse” all-encompassing technology strategy.
Twitter mocks Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement on Facebook name change
Social media giant says it is moving towards ‘metaverse’ of technology products
Patagonia calls for more firms to boycott Facebook
The outdoor clothing company says that companies must pressure the social media giant to fix its platforms in the wake of the Facebook Papers.
“We believe Facebook has a responsibility to make sure its products do no harm, and until they do, Patagonia will continue to withhold our advertising,” CEO Ryan Gellert said in a statement to CNN.
“We encourage other businesses to join us in pushing Facebook to prioritize people and planet over profit.”
Patagonia pulled its adverts off Facebook last summer “because they spread hate speech and misinformation about climate change and our democracy. We continue to stand by that boycott 16 months later,” added Mr Gellert.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments