Facebook Inc is now called Meta, the company said on Thursday, in a rebrand that focuses on building the "metaverse," a shared virtual environment that it bets will be the successor to the mobile internet.

The decision by Facebook to change its name to Meta reflects the company’s perceived growth opportunities beyond its namesake social-media platform

The Facebook boss emphasised, “Right now our brand is so tightly linked to one product that it can’t possibly represent everything we’re doing today, let alone in the future”.

Facebook wants the rebrand to show how Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg is repositioning the tech company around the metaverse, which he sees as a key growth area that can also attract younger users.

“The next platform will be even more immersive — an embodied internet where you’re in the experience, not just looking at it. We call this the metaverse, and it will touch every product we build.” Zuckerberg said in a statement

“The defining quality of the metaverse will be a feeling of presence — like you are right there with another person or in another place. Feeling truly present with another person is the ultimate dream of social technology. This isn’t about spending more time on screens; it’s about making the time we already spend better” he added.

The Facebook boss emphasised, “Right now our brand is so tightly linked to one product that it can’t possibly represent everything we’re doing today, let alone in the future.”

Zuckerberg stated: “To reflect who we are and the future we hope to build, I’m proud to share that our company is now Meta.”

Mark Zuckerberg announced the new name as he unveiled plans to build a "metaverse" - an online world where people can game, work and communicate in a virtual environment, often using VR headsets.

The company also unveiled a new sign at its headquarters in Menlo Park, California, on Thursday, replacing its thumbs-up "Like" logo with a blue infinity shape.

"We're now looking at and reporting on our business as two different segments, one for our family of apps, and one for our work on future platforms.

"And as part of this, it is time for us to adopt a new company brand to encompass everything that we do, to reflect who we are and what we hope to build."

Zuckerberg said the new name, coming from the Greek word for "beyond," symbolised there was always more to build. He also said the new name reflects that over time, users will not need to use Facebook to use the company's other services.

The company, which has invested heavily in augmented and virtual reality, said the change would bring together its different apps and technologies under one new brand. It said it would not change its corporate structure.

The tech giant, which reports about 2.9 billion monthly users, has faced increasing scrutiny in recent years from global lawmakers and regulators.

In the latest controversy, whistleblower and former Facebook employee Frances Haugen leaked documents which she said showed the company chose profit over user safety. Haugen has in recent weeks testified before a US Senate subcommittee and lawmakers in the UK's Parliament. Zuckerberg earlier this week said the documents were being used to paint a "false picture."

Facebook shares closed 1.5% higher at $316.92 on Thursday.

Facebook, which this year launched its own pair of smart glasses with Ray-Ban, announced a slew of new AR and VR product updates during Connect. These included a way for people using its Oculus VR headset to call friends using Facebook Messenger and for people to invite others to a social version of their home, dubbed "Horizon Home."

Zuckerberg also showed video demos of what the metaverse could look like, with people connecting as avatars and being transported to digital versions of various places and time periods. He said that the metaverse would need to be built with safety and privacy in mind.

This article is a courtesy quote from: Business Today-in


為什麼 Facebook 更名為 Meta

Facebook 老闆強調，“現在我們的品牌與一種產品緊密相連，它不可能代表我們今天所做的一切，更不用說未來了”

Facebook Inc 現在更名為 Meta，該公司週四表示，該公司更名為 Meta，專注於構建“metaverse”，這是一個共享的虛擬環境，它打賭將成為移動互聯網的繼承者。

Facebook 將其更名為 Meta 的決定反映了該公司在其同名社交媒體平台之外的增長機會。

Facebook 希望品牌重塑能夠展示首席執行官馬克扎克伯格如何圍繞元宇宙重新定位這家科技公司，他認為這是一個可以吸引年輕用戶的關鍵增長領域。

“下一個平台將更加身臨其境——一個實體化的互聯網，你可以在其中體驗，而不僅僅是看著它。我們稱之為元宇宙，它將觸及我們構建的每一個產品。”扎克伯格在一份聲明中說

“Metaverse 的定義品質將是一種存在感——就像你和另一個人在一起或在另一個地方一樣。與另一個人真正在一起是社交技術的終極夢想。這不是要在屏幕上花更多時間；這是為了讓我們已經度過的時間變得更好。”他補充道。

Facebook 老闆強調說：“現在我們的品牌與一種產品緊密相連，它不可能代表我們今天所做的一切，更不用說未來了。”

扎克伯格表示：“為了反映我們是誰以及我們希望建立的未來，我很自豪地宣布我們的公司現在是 Meta。”

馬克·扎克伯格 (Mark Zuckerberg) 宣布了新名稱，因為他公佈了構建“元宇宙”的計劃——一個人們可以在虛擬環境中游戲、工作和交流的在線世界，通常使用 VR 耳機。

週四，該公司還在其位於加利福尼亞州門洛帕克的總部推出了一個新標誌，用藍色無限形狀取代了豎起大拇指的“Like”標誌。

“我們現在將我們的業務視為兩個不同的部分並對其進行報告，一個用於我們的應用程序系列，另一個用於我們在未來平台上的工作。

“作為其中的一部分，我們現在是時候採用一個新的公司品牌來涵蓋我們所做的一切，以反映我們是誰以及我們希望建立什麼。”

扎克伯格說，這個新名字來自希臘語“超越”，象徵著總有更多的東西需要建造。他還表示，新名稱反映了隨著時間的推移，用戶將不需要使用 Facebook 來使用該公司的其他服務。

該公司在增強現實和虛擬現實方面投入了大量資金，該公司表示，這一變化將把其不同的應用程序和技術整合到一個新品牌下。它表示不會改變其公司結構。

這家科技巨頭的月用戶數約為 29 億，近年來受到全球立法者和監管機構越來越多的審查。

在最近的爭議中，告密者和前 Facebook 員工 Frances Haugen 洩露了文件，她說這些文件表明該公司選擇利潤而不是用戶安全。最近幾週，豪根在美國參議院小組委員會和英國議會的立法者面前作證。扎克伯格本週早些時候表示，這些文件被用來描繪“虛假畫面”。

Facebook 股價週四收盤上漲 1.5%，至 316.92 美元。

Facebook 今年與雷朋一起推出了自己的智能眼鏡，並在 Connect 期間宣布了一系列新的 AR 和 VR 產品更新。其中包括一種讓人們使用其 Oculus VR 耳機通過 Facebook Messenger 呼叫朋友的方式，以及讓人們邀請他人進入他們家的社交版本的方式，稱為“地平線之家”。

扎克伯格還展示了元宇宙可能是什麼樣子的視頻演示，人們作為化身連接並被傳送到不同地點和時間段的數字版本。他說，Metaverse 的構建需要考慮到安全和隱私。

This article is a courtesy quote from: Business Today-in and translated thru google Translate