Voice of London

Facebook has changed its corporate name to Meta in an effort to rebrand itself.

The company claims that the name change will more effectively “encompass” what it does and intends to do in the future as its goals include expanding beyond social media into areas such as gaming and virtual reality.

The change only applies to the parent company, not the individual platforms that it owns such as Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp. The decision has come after a series of negative stories about Facebook based on the “Facebook papers” leaked by ex-employee Frances Haugen.

When it comes to Generation Z, as of 2021 only 15.6% of Facebook users are around the age 18-24, Instagram on the other hand has a bigger share, with 22.9% of users aged 18-24 in the UK. We asked university students how they felt about the name change, here’s what they had to say:

Catalyna, 21 said: “I wouldn’t necessarily call Facebook something other than Facebook because I’ve been used to that for so long. It’s just weird.”

Brandon Aldi, 20 said: “I think it’s a better way for them to manage their other platforms besides just Facebook. It doesn’t change the way I feel about them. I only use Facebook once a week, I use Instagram and Whatsapp more. I think it would be better if different people managed these platforms instead of just one company, it’s quite dangerous and risky for data management.”

Bianca, 18 thinks that “people might not be able to recognise that Facebook has a new name like the generation now or a bit older will be confused and it won’t catch on. I used to use Facebook a lot but now I don’t so I don’t think the name will change will affect me. Facebook is for old people”

George Pack, 19 said: “I’ve always not really liked Facebook, I don’t really like their ethics so the name change won’t help how I feel about it.”

Manny Barber, 19 said: “I think from a business point of view if you’ve got a good and recognisable name I don’t know why you would change it. I guess they’re trying to rebrand themselves after all the bad press, and now they’re trying to become a bigger thing rather than just being known for the Facebook app. I still won’t really use it.”

Meanwhile online, the Twitter jokes are pouring in and don’t seem to be stopping anytime soon, most of them about how a rebrand won’t change much.

Can Facebook use this rebranding effort to start fresh and move on from its controversies? More importantly will the public let it? Let us know your thoughts on Twitter by using #FacebookisthenewMeta

Words: Erin Kalejs | Subbing: Susanna Borio

Photo by: Brett Jordan on Unsplash