The news has sent shockwaves through the world of social media. In fact, soon Facebook may no longer even exist -- sort of -- as Mark Zuckerberg could soon unveil a new name for his group. Due to recent bad press, the American giant could be considering rebranding.
Is Facebook set to disappear? So reports The Verge, in any case. According to the American media, Mark Zuckerberg is poised to announce a new name for his Facebook company, which encompasses, among other things, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Oculus applications. For the American giant, this rebranding would put the group's social network on the same level as its other applications, while also refreshing an image that has been under fire in the international press in recent weeks, notably with Frances Haugen's disturbing revelations. Recently, Guy Rosen, the Vice President of Integrity, defended tooth and nail the social network's artificial intelligence.
The upcoming announcement could take place, Thursday, October 28, during the Facebook group's annual conference, or even earlier, according to The Verge. This new identity should help reposition the company, helmed by Mark Zuckerberg, to better reflect its ambitious focus on the metaverse. Recently, Facebook Inc. announced the creation of 10,000 new jobs over the next five years across the European Union to help the firm build the metaverse: "Working with others, we're developing what is often referred to as the metaverse -- a new phase of interconnected virtual experiences using technologies like virtual and augmented reality," the group said.
Before Facebook, other large companies have made similar name changes, such as the Google Group, reorganized as Alphabet in 2015 to better highlight all the group's technology, rather than just its search engine. Snapchat also decided to shorten its parent company's name to Snap Inc. in 2016.
