If you’ve not heard of the Facebook rebranding, you might need to check if you’re living under a rock. But even if you are a tech genius, the whole concept of Meta can still be a bit challenging. Mark Zuckerberg is an insane genius that can’t easily be understood so we have a list of 5 facts about Meta that will make it easier to navigate one of the most popular social media platforms ever.
1. From your favorite social media app to the future
Facebook rebranded themselves as Meta in October 2021 but the idea had apparently been in the works since 2014 when Facebook acquired the VR headset startup Oculus. According to Zuckerberg though, the vision of Meta started even before he founded Facebook. You might find the meta logo on instagram and whatsapp since both social media platforms were bought by Facebook before the rebranding. The whole company which owns all these social media platforms is called Meta Platforms Inc.
2. Why the constant blues?
Mark Zuckerberg, the chairman and ceo of Meta Platforms is red-green color blind and blue is the color that he can see best. So incorporating blue into first the Facebook logo and then the Meta logo is not a surprise. The blue infinity loop of the new Meta logo symbolizes endless possibilities and endless universes and despite Zuckerberg’s color blindness affecting the choice of color, its significant that the color blue also symbolizes trust and freedom, something that the social media conglomerate sorely needs when it’s always facing lawsuits due to privacy concerns and data collection.
3. The most popular social media platform in the world
People tend to think that Facebook has changed since the rebranding to Meta. The most popular social media platform in the world with over 2 billion users still functions the same as it always did and it’s still called Facebook. The company can’t really change the name of the platform since a lot of users are older millennials. But the users include a wide demography from teens who use Facebook to keep up with popular culture and older users who keep up with their family through Facebook. However, only about 51% of US teens use Facebook today compared to the 94% in 2012, showing the decline in usage and making the acquisition of Instagram and Whatsapp a smart move.
4. Virtual reality: the new future in the Metaverse
The Metaverse is a virtual world. It’s actually a 3D version of the real world where people can interact with each other by creating an animation version of themselves called avatars. Meta itself is building a Virtual Reality social platform in the Metaverse. The Metaverse has been called the internet of the future and poses as many risks as it does benefits, just like the internet of today. People are afraid of being obsessed with the Metaverse and neglecting their physical surroundings but the Metaverse will be super beneficial for remote work and especially the health care sector. But the Metaverse can’t really be conceptualized at the moment because its still being built.
5. The Zuckerberg vision
Zuckerberg envisions the Metaverse as a place where people can connect with each other. He believes that the Metaverse could transform our lives. Everything from education to shopping will completely change thanks to Meta and the Metaverse. Meta is expected to invest billions of dollars to achieve this dream and take many years to become mainstream. Right now, Meta is called the Social Metaverse Company, ensuring that people get used to the idea of the Metaverse. Just like any old social media platform, it will take time for the world to catch up. Considering that only about 60% of the world has access to the internet, the future of Meta and the Metaverse remains uncertain.
You can check out this video on how Meta will function within the Metaverse.
At the end of the day, you don’t really have to worry about Meta because the technology to achieve Mark Zuckerberg’s dreams are still being discovered. You can continue to use Facebook or not and the world will go on as it used to until we are living in a virtual reality everyday.
