Facebook Changes Name To Meta; Focuses On Virtual Reality, Smartwatch, And Other Hardware

Facebook, the name that's synonymous with social media for decades now, is changing its name. Facebook is now calling itself Meta and will be aiming to shift its focus to computing platforms like virtual reality. Facebook has been under the limelight for some time now for its toxic content and continued harm with hate speech.

Facebook Is Meta Now

Reports have been talking about a name change for Facebook, which also aims to change its identity. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was earlier quoted saying he wanted to expand its empire into a metaverse. "The metaverse is the next frontier," he repeated in a presentation at Facebook's Connect conference.

"From now on, we're going to be metaverse-first, not Facebook-first," Zuckerberg said. "We've learned a lot from struggling with social issues and living under closed platforms, and now it is time to take everything that we've learned and help build the next chapter," he was quoted at the conference.

Facebook Will Not Change Name To Meta

That said, the Facebook social media platform will continue to run as it is - Facebook. The Meta name and the Metaverse will include Facebook's expanding computational technology like virtual reality, augmented reality, and other hardware. Reports even claim a new smartwatch and other hardware coming under Facebook Meta. This also means the Facebook app and websites for social media will remain the same.

Facebook Meta VR, Watch, And More

Soon after the conference, a report from Bloomberg has spotted a Meta Watch. This could be an indication that Facebook is not only rebranding its identity but is also working on other hardware apart from virtual reality headsets. The report says the smartwatch was spotted with the codename 'Milan' and is the first smartwatch to come out from the Facebook empire.

Going into the details, the Meta Watch was spotted with a large, square dial that looks very similar to an Apple Watch. But what makes it stand apart is the tiny notch that houses a camera sensor. The alleged photo of the Meta Watch was spotted inside Facebook's app for its Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses.

Facebook Meta: Is The Name Change Enough?

Facebook has been under a lot of heat lately after a whistleblower revealed sensitive information about the company. Statements revealed that Facebook deliberately continued to provide hate speech and other data, despite its adverse effect and refused to intervene. The same was found with Instagram, where the company refused to take action even as teenagers' mental health took a toll.

It looks like Facebook wants to distance itself from the backlash it's been receiving. Moreover, reports also suggest the name change could be a divertion of the attention it's been receiving. Nevertheless, the new Meta-verse platform aims for more hardware and immersive experience - which might open to more doors of controversy and related issues.