Why Facebook?
Mark Zuckerberg, the company's co-founder, decided on the moniker "Facebook." He claimed that the term was influenced by the lists of people's names and pictures that certain American universities would provide to their students in an effort to foster a sense of community. These online directories, known as "The Facebook," included the pupils' photos and some basic biographical details.
Similar to the Facebook of his college days, Zuckerberg liked the concept of developing an online directory that would let users interact and share information. Also, he wanted the name to convey a sense of community and represent the social character of the website.
Facebook was first known as "The Facebook" in its early years and was solely accessible to Harvard University students. With time, the name was shortened to "Facebook" and the user base was broadened to include people from all over the world, developing into the social media behemoth we know today.
Why the new name Meta?
Facebook made the announcement that it would become Meta in October 2021. This choice was made as part of the organization's strategy to reinvent itself and refocus on creating the metaverse, a shared virtual environment where individuals may connect with one another in a more immersive and dynamic way than is currently feasible on the internet.
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, claims that the company's switch to the Meta name marks the beginning of a new chapter in which it would devote significant resources to creating tools that let users interact and work together virtually.
Facebook is indicating a strategic change in its company towards virtual and augmented reality, which it believes will be the future of social media and digital communication, by changing its name to Meta.
The social media network Facebook will continue to exist and run under its previous identity despite the name change, it is crucial to emphasise. The change in name to Meta is less of a fundamental shift in the company's primary business and more of a reflection of its larger goals in the field of virtual and augmented reality.