The social media giant Facebook is apparently planning to undergo a full-on rebranding, even going so far as to change its name.
There are surely few global brands as instantly (and perhaps regrettably) recognisable as Facebook, the sprawling social media colossus that marks its presence with a white “f” on a blue background. But according to a new report, that could all be set to change.
The Verge has claimed that the Facebook parent company (which also owns WhatsApp, Instagram and Oculus) is intending to change its name and styling to mark its intentions of creating a social “metaverse”. As for the original social media network itself, beloved by ranting relatives and cat meme aficionados alike, it’s likely to keep the same name. The big shake-up could come about as soon as 28 October, at the company’s annual Connect conference.
Related: Facebook doesn’t need a metaverse, it needs a reality check
There is some precedent to this kind of move, as the parent company of Google was renamed to Alphabet several year ago, without too much evident disruption; however, the change might be particularly desirable for Facebook given the bad publicity it has engendered through fiascos such as the Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2019.
It’s also not the first time the company has changed its name; as viewers of The Social Network will remember, it was previously called ‘The Facebook’ before Justin Timberlake — I mean Sean Parker — apparently instructed Mark Zuckerberg to drop the definite article for a ‘cleaner’ look.
The real question of course, is what name will it adopt instead of Facebook? For now there are no big clues as to its new identity, so we’ll just have to stay tuned for further announcements.
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