Social media churns with new names for Facebook
NEW YORK: Zuckerverse. Timesuck. Faceplant. They’re just a few of the suggestions being bandied around online following reports that Facebook plans to rebrand itself with a new group name. The company refused to comment on rumour or speculation, of course, but the Twitterati had no problem.
The debate careered from sensible to screwball to strange.
“Meta” was one of the more sober trending suggestions, referring to Facebook’s reported desire to assume a name that focuses on the metaverse, a virtual environment where users can hang out. Bookface, Facegram, Facetagram, Freeface, Freetalk, World Changer.
On the wilder side, Twitter user Dave Pell drew a comparison with musician Kanye West who recently changed his name to “Ye”.
Several humorous suggestions reflected online speculation that the alleged rebrand was driven by founder Mark Zuckerberg’s yearning to make Facebook “cool” once more.
The platform has been deserted by many younger users who have moved to apps like Instagram, Snapchat and Tiktok, and has become increasingly populated by older people. “Teenage Wasteland”, one wit suggested.
“The Old People’s App because that’s what us younger people call it,” college student Vittoria Esteves said.
“Boomerville”, suggested Marco, referring to so-called baby boomers born in the years following World War II.
The naming feast was sparked by a report on the Verge tech site that a newly named group would act as a parent for all the company’s brands, including Facebook itself, Instagram and Whatsapp, and reflect a focus on virtual and augmented reality.