Facebook Changes it’s name to Meta
Facebook changes its company name to Meta. According to founder Mark Zuckerberg, the new name should better convey where the company wants to go with its technology. A shared virtual world, the metaverse, is central to this.
Zuckerberg announced the name change at the annual Facebook Connect event. The presentation was almost all about the ” metaverse, “ the name Facebook uses for an all-encompassing digital world in virtual reality (VR).
Zuckerberg wants “there is a distinction between the apps we have now and the future we are building”. It was leaked last week that there would be a name change. There has been speculation that the name would revolve around the metaverse.
The metaverse becomes a kind of shared world on top of the internet, in which virtual reality and the real world come together. For example, people should be able to meet remotely in one virtual room or play games together.
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Parent Company
In fact, Meta is now the new parent company. Meta, on the other hand, includes apps such as Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp. Financially, Meta now splits its business into two branches: the “family of apps” on the one hand, and Reality Labs, which manages metaverse activities in VR and AR, on the other.
Meta was chosen because the word can mean ‘to move on, Zuckerberg writes. “We are moving beyond what is possible today, beyond the limitations of screens, beyond the boundaries of distance and physics, to a future where everyone can be together, create new opportunities, and experience new things.”
Stream of negative news
Facebook changes its name to meta: The name change comes after Facebook has been in the news for weeks after revelations by whistleblower Francis Haugen. She says that Facebook always prefers profit over the safety of its users.
According to her, Facebook does not act sufficiently against hate messages and fake news. The company would also know from its own research that its apps harm the mental health of some young users. Moreover, Facebook would have acknowledged all kinds of negative consequences of its algorithms too late.
Also Read: 7 Facebook Marketing Tips for Small Business
New technology
Currently, Meta has its sights set on the further development of VR technology. Work is currently underway on Project Cambria, a new high-resolution VR headset that should be able to read your facial expressions.
The tech company is also working in Project Nazarra on new augmented reality glasses, which let you put a layer over reality. The hope is that in the long run, you can play games on your kitchen table, for example. These AR glasses will take a while: Meta has to figure out how to “show things like holograms on a display of five millimeters”, among other things.
Realistic avatars
Other things on the wish list are technology to create photo-realistic avatars of people and large social spaces where people can easily jump in and out.
Meta is also allocating 150 million dollars (128 million euros) to train people to build better educational software for VR.
