x
Breaking News
More () »

Facebook announces a new name, the internet immediately drags it through the mud

Facebook announced a brand-new name and tech-heavy direction. The internet was not impressed.
Credit: AP
Seen on the screen of a device in Sausalito, Calif., Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announces their new name, Meta, during a virtual event on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021. Zuckerberg talked up his latest passion -- creating a virtual reality "metaverse" for business, entertainment and meaningful social interactions. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Facebook, still desperately trying to outrun its deeply problematic public image just took the next predictable step to make sure you forget what theyโ€™ve done.

Rebrand.

(Yes, we embedded the tweet. Take that Facebook or Meta or whatever.)

Say hello to Meta.

Commander Data cosplayer and Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg announced the new company name and direction during their streaming Connect event on Thursday morning. In a nutshell, Meta will be the umbrella company that will own and run Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, and the other apps in the formerly-known-as-Facebook family.

According to the front page of Meta.com, the ~Metaverse~ โ€œwill be socialโ€ and include โ€œ3D spaces that will let you learn, collaborate and play in ways that go beyond what we can imagine.โ€ In fact, thereโ€™s nary a word about fixing newsfeeds or algorithms. Instead, itโ€™s all about new, barely existent hardware-dependent technologies like VR, AR, and Smart Glasses.

Itโ€™s only once you get to the very bottom of the statement that you can find any mention of social responsibility - but SMART GLASSES, Yโ€™ALL!

Anyway, if thereโ€™s anything else you can count on, like death and taxes, itโ€™s people flocking to Twitter to absolutely drag anything new created by the internetโ€™s biggest villain. 

Here are some of our favorites:

Oof.

Only time will tell if a new name will be enough to insulate Facebook or Meta from its previous behavior - or future litigation.

Before You Leave, Check This Out