Zuckerverse. Timesuck. Faceplant.
They’re just a few of the ideas floating around the internet in response to reports that Facebook plans to rebrand itself with a new group name. Of course, the company refused to comment on rumor or speculation, but the Twitterati had no such reservations.
The discussion veered from sensible to screwball to bizarre.
One of the more sober trending suggestions was “meta,” which refers to Facebook’s reported desire to adopt a name that focuses on the metaverse, a virtual environment where users can hang out.
Bookface, Facegram, Facetagram, FreeFace, FreeTalk, and World Changer are all examples of social media platforms.
On the wackier end of the spectrum, Twitter user Dave Pell drew a parallel with musician Kanye West, who recently changed his name to “Ye.”
It would be awesome if Facebook changes its name to Ye.
— Dave Pell (@davepell) October 20, 2021
“It’d be fantastic if Facebook changed its name to Ye,” he said.
Several amusing suggestions reflected online speculation that the alleged rebrand was motivated by founder Mark Zuckerberg’s desire to restore Facebook’s “coolness.”
Many younger users have abandoned the platform in favor of apps such as Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, and it has become increasingly populated by older people.
“Teenage Wasteland,” one witty put it.
“The Old People’s App because that’s what we younger people call it,” Vittoria Esteves, a college student in Rome, told Reuters.
“Boomerville,” Marco proposed, referring to the so-called baby boomers born in the years following World War II.
‘THE STREISAND EFFECT
The online naming frenzy was sparked by a report on the Verge tech site that a newly named group would serve as a parent for all of the company’s brands, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, and would emphasize virtual and augmented reality.
According to the report, an announcement is expected next week.
However, many suggestions reflected the general public’s concern about how the company handles user safety and hate speech. Internal documents leaked by a whistleblower served as the foundation for a United States Senate hearing last week.
For instance, “Fakebook.” Tracebook.
Others questioned whether a name change would be enough to deflect the company’s reputation from the growing legal and regulatory scrutiny.
“It’ll be the Barbra Streisand effect,” said 20-year-old Glasgow student Thomas van der Hoven, referring to the phenomenon in which attempting to suppress something inadvertently increases public interest in it.
“So they’re going to try to change it, which will only draw attention to the fact that they’re changing it. What is the reason for the change?” He continued. “At some point, it’s going to spit back in their face.”
