By Marianna Mabanag
Earlier this month, rumors quickly spread throughout the internet that a popular company and social media platform was undergoing an entire rebranding process. On October 28, Facebook officially launched Meta, changing their company name to show their commitment in bringing the metaverse to life.
Although metaverses aren’t new, many individuals have no clue what they might entail. According to Global News, this broad term is used to refer to shared virtual world environments that many other individuals can access via the internet. This next stage in internet development can be a huge step ahead of other companies for Facebook since it’s taking internet use to the next level. Instead of just connecting with others through a screen, we will soon be able to connect on a much deeper and complex level. With this new platform change, we will soon see online spaces being created where people’s interactions are more multi-dimensional, allowing the users to immerse themselves in the digital content rather than viewing it.
By rebranding and changing the overall approach to the internet, Meta is hoping to increase opportunities for its users to socialize, learn and collaborate with others. With the utilization of virtual reality, augmented reality and more, there will be an abundance of different ways that users can interact with each other. As stated by Facebook, Meta will be a collective project that will no longer be run by just one company, but instead, will be created by the users all over the world.
As the Wall Street Journal mentions, it’s fairly typical for companies to undergo a rebranding when they want to change their focus from one area to becoming a bigger umbrella encompassing a broader identity. For example, Google did this with Alphabet years ago. By doing this, Meta will be able to provide a space for companies to have an endless interconnected community that can be utilized for marketing however they see fit best for them. In addition to companies benefiting, talent will also have the opportunity to take advantage of the social media aspect of Meta and grow their brand. Zuckerburg is aiming to gain another 1 billion users in the next decade, and this growth in users can allow everyone to work and create products or content, ultimately resulting in millions of jobs for creators.
Aside from skeptics believing the rebrand is only a distraction from harmful Facebook algorithms, this change could also negatively impact creators and talent who utilize this platform for their career. With the projection of another billion users and the anticipation of millions of creators on the platform, current Facebook creators may find a hard time standing out from new incoming talent.
Change can be good, no matter what it applies to. But with all the good, it can also have negative effects on others. So what do you think? Are you excited to join the metaverse?