October 2021 will be known as the month when the entire internet was shaken by one of Facebook’s biggest scandals. It was when Sophie Zhang brought some of Facebook’s now known as Meta ‘dirty laundry’ out in the open for the public to scrutinize. 

The data breach scandal was then inspected by NPR by revisiting the Cambridge Analytica Data Scandal, and they have seen Facebook taking no accountability or even admitting to any fault. 

They have been blamed for not taking accountability for harmful content in their domain. This will include hate speech, infringement of intellectual property, terrorism or rape incitement, etc. 

A few weeks later, Mark Zuckerberg the CEO himself made a public announcement in Meta’s formal counterpart Twitter about changing the app’s name from ‘Facebook’ to ‘Meta.’

However, ardent users of the application are having some speculations and questions like ‘Is Meta The  Parent Company Of Facebook’ or whether this is just for Rebranding and launching a new outlook for the platform or just a PR stunt to stray people away from the scandal controversy. 

Now, before we dive into the technical reason for Zuckerberg changing the name to Meta, let us discuss if this is PR; why this image purifier was a long time coming. 

Facebook has been in the limelight of scandal for quite a  few times now. Especially with allegations of them not considering their user’s mental health by not seriously penalizing pages that are damagingly in favor of terrorism or rape culture. 

No, serious action is being taken and additionally, the data breach to the Cambridge Analytica scandal just added to the wildfire. 

Therefore, users speculate that with ‘Meta’ the world-renowned CEO is trying to divert its image into something different, to get people excited or forgetful towards the other controversies, to say the least. 

What Is Meta Facebook?

Putting a pin on these conspiracies, let us first understand what Meta Facebook is and the official reason as placed by Zuckerberg himself, for changing the name. 

“From now on, we’re going to be metaverse first, not facebook first’

“Our brand is so tightly linked to one product that it can’t possibly represent everything we’re doing today, let alone the future.”

Today every competitor is rushing to be the pioneer of the metaverse and according to Zuckenberg, this phenomenal change will immediately put the social media application ahead and ready for the future. 

The term ‘Meta’ was coined from the Greek term which means ‘Beyond’, and that is exactly what the reformed platform formerly known as ‘Facebook’ strives to become. Breaking bonds from the tightly knit one product ideology, Meta will be expanding to experimentation in the fields of augmented reality, hand gestures, and creating an overall wholesome experience for its users when it comes to artificial intelligence. 

Will Facebook Still Be Called Facebook?

This is a decision that hasn’t been clarified by the senior executives yet. The name of the domain will definitely change to ‘Meta.’ However, as of this date, the application name and logo haven’t officially changed. 

Although, it is said that the pioneer name Facebook would be changed to Meta while ‘facebook’ will become just another subsidiary of the company like WhatsApp or Instagram.  

Therefore, we might have to wait a few more days for that to happen. 

Now, here is where Facebook went wrong and the justified reason behind this speculation. Even if this change is a PR strategy, the whole purpose of cleaning the image won’t suffice with deflection.

This new initiative might come as a beacon for the next revolutionary experience of an online presence, Facebook or Meta has to take accountability for all the hate content that they have thrown a blind eye towards and the data breaching controversies. Maybe then some users might be able to take this change on a positive note. 

Read More:

Tags

Deepanwita Dey

Deepanwita has always considered writing as the ultimate weapon to share every thought an individual ambles through. For her writing is not just an activity it’s a motivation for the scarred mind. She loves writing in genres like fashion, lifestyle, literature etc.

View all Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *