The world’s largest social media company, Facebook Inc. will now be known as Meta. The name change is coming on the heels of the company’s strategic direction towards the ‘metaverse’.
Facebook’s founder and CEO, Marck Zuckerberg made the announcement at Facebook’s annual conference Thursday, where he outlined his vision for the metaverse – a digital world built over our own, comprising virtual reality headsets and augmented reality. “We believe the metaverse will be the successor of the mobile internet,” Zuckerberg said.
The new holding company Meta will encompass Facebook, its largest subsidiary, as well as apps such as Instagram, WhatsApp and the virtual reality brand Oculus.
In a presentation from his home, Zuckerberg outlined his vision of the metaverse as a digital world in which users will feel they are with one another and have a “sense of presence” despite being far apart. The platform would allow users to customize their avatars and digital spaces, decorating a digital office with pictures, videos and even books.
“When I send my parents a video with my kids, they’re going to feel like they’re right in the moment with us not peering through a little window,” he said.
