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I used to study Classics, and the word “meta” comes from the Greek word meaning “beyond”. For me, it symbolizes that there is always more to build, and there is always a next chapter to the story. Ours is a story that started in a dorm room and grew beyond anything we imagined; into a family of apps that people use to connect with one another, to find their voice, and to start businesses, communities, and movements that have changed the world.
– Mark Zuckerberg, CEO, Facebook
That’s the rationale behind re-branding social network Facebook as Meta. In the CEO’s own words, in a letter written to all employees called, “Founder’s Letter, 2021″. So that’s that for those of you wondering what is the meaning of meta.
Mark Z, as we like to call him here at What’s New On The Net, explained not only the rationale behind the meaning of meta, but said the next platform will be even more “immersive” — an embodied Internet where users are IN the experience, not just looking at it. Meta called it the “metaverse”, & it will touch every product Meta builds.
In the metaverse, he wrote, “you’ll be able to do almost anything you can imagine — get together with friends & family, work, learn, play, shop, create — as well as completely new experiences that don’t really fit how we think about computers or phones today.”
In this future, claimed the CEO, you will be able to teleport instantly as a hologram to be at the office without a commute, at a concert with friends, or in your parents’ living room to catch up. This will open up more opportunity no matter where you live. You’ll be able to spend more time on what matters to you, cut down time in traffic, & reduce your carbon footprint.
The metaverse will not be created by one company, acknowledged Mark. It will be built by creators & developers making new experiences & digital items that are interoperable & unlock a massively larger creative economy than the one constrained by today’s platforms & their policies.
Meta’s Role In The Journey Towards The Metaverse
Mark Zuckerberg wrote that his company’s role in this journey was “to accelerate the development of the fundamental technologies, social platforms & creative tools to bring the metaverse to life”, & to weave these technologies through its social media apps. “We believe the metaverse can enable better social experiences than anything that exists today, and we will dedicate our energy to helping achieve its potential.”
Meta plans to sell its devices at cost or subsidized to make them available to more people. It will also continue supporting side-loading & streaming from PCs so people have choice, rather than forcing them to use the Quest Store to find apps or reach customers. It will also aim to offer developer & creator services with low fees in as many cases as possible.
From Facebook To Meta
Today we’re seen as a social media company. Facebook is one of the most used technology products in the history of the world. It’s an iconic social media brand.
– Mark Zuckerberg
Building social apps will always be important for us, & there’s a lot more to build, the CEO wrote. But increasingly, it’s not the only thing FB did. “In our DNA, we build technology to bring people together. The metaverse is the next frontier in connecting people, just like social networking was when we got started.”
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. Over time, I hope we are seen as a metaverse company, and I want to anchor our work and our identity on what we’re building towards.
There will now be 2 different segments to the FB business: one for its family of apps & one for work on future platforms. Work on the metaverse is not just one of these segments. The metaverse encompasses both the social experiences & future technology. That’s why the need of the hour was to adopt a new brand.
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
