Facebook changes name and becomes Meta. Zuckerberg: “A new era is opening”

“We are at the beginning of a new era for the Internet and for our company.” Thus begins the long letter with which Mark Zuckerberg , CEO and founder of Facebook, presented Meta, the ‘social technology’ company – as he himself defines it – which will officially give life to the Metaverse, a third hybrid dimension in which ‘online and offline complement each other and create a reality that goes ‘beyond’ imagination. It is no coincidence that the logo of the new company is the upside down 8, symbol of infinity.

“I was studying the classics and the word ‘meta’ comes from the Greek word meaning ‘beyond.’ To me, it symbolizes that there is always more to build and there is always a next chapter in the story. Ours is a story that began in a dorm room and grew beyond anything we imagined; into a family of apps that people use to connect with each other, find their voice, and start businesses, communities, and movements that have changed the world,” writes Mark Zuckerberg.

Inside the Metaverse

The metaverse, then, will feel like a hybrid of today’s online social experiences, sometimes expanded into three dimensions or projected into the physical world. With the aim of providing engaging experiences to everyone and with everyone, even with those people who you physically could not be close to in the ‘real’ world, because they are in another space, in another place, in another city.

“ In the metaverse you will be able to do almost everything you can imagine: get together with friends and family, work, learn, play, shop, create and live completely new experiences that are totally different from those we live today with computers and phones of today. In this future, you will be able to instantly teleport like a hologram to be at the office without commuting, at a concert with friends, or in your parents’ living room to catch up. This will open up more opportunities no matter where you live. You will be able to spend more time on what matters to you, reduce time in traffic and reduce your CO2 emissions.”

In short, the creation of that world imagined several times by the Black Mirror TV series or by Steven Spielberg’s film ‘Ready Player One’ . Furthermore, the context to which Covid-19 has accustomed us is in fact always characterized by connection, attention to the environment, and the need for smart working.

Who will create the metaverse

“The metaverse”, writes Mark Zuckerberg, “will not be created by a company, but will be built by developers (hence the announcement of new jobs in Europe ) who will create new experiences and digital objects that are interoperable and that will unlock a creative economy vastly larger than that constrained by today’s platforms and their policies.”

If on the one hand it will be necessary to accelerate the development of fundamental technologies, social platforms and creative tools, on the other Meta will have to work following the motto that has always characterized the Facebook world, as Zuckerberg reminds us: “We don’t build services to make money ; we earn to build better services”.

To live your experiences in the metaverse it will be essential to have different devices available: augmented reality glasses to remain present in the physical world (and here too Facebook is ready ), and tools (phones, computers, etc…) to immerse yourself in virtual reality and to jump from existing platforms. “ It’s not about spending more time on screens; it’s about making the time we already spend better.”

READ ALSO: “Creating cities and virtual worlds like Nolan with “Inception”. The new role of the architect according to Alessio Grancini”

Meta and the response to the Facebook scandals

Facebook, on the other hand, comes from one of the most difficult periods in its history: first involved with the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica  scandal and now with Facebook-Papers .

“The last five years have been humbling for me and our company in many ways. One of the main lessons I’ve learned is that building products that people love isn’t enough… Privacy and security need to be built into the metaverse from day one. The same goes for open standards and interoperability. This will require not only new technical work, such as supporting crypto and NFT projects in the community, but also new forms of governance. Above all, we must help build ecosystems so that more people have a stake in the future and can benefit from it not just as consumers but as creators. This time has also been humbling because, as big as we are as a company, we’ve also learned what it’s like to build on other platforms. Living by their rules has profoundly shaped my views on the tech industry. I have come to believe that a lack of choice for consumers and high fees for developers are stifling innovation and holding back the Internet economy.”

How the structure of society changes

Zuckerberg reassures that “our mission remains the same: bringing people together.” But it seems inevitable that by entering the metaverse and no longer on Facebook some things will change, especially at a company level. Meta will be the parent company, at the top of a corporate structure that includes Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

A change that will also be reflected in the stock market. From December 1, Facebook will trade under the new stock ticker MVRS. The way the company shares and communicates its economic results will also change . Starting from the fourth quarter of 2021, the data will refer to two operating segments: Family of Apps and Reality Labs.

Zuckerberg finally concludes: “We built things that brought people together in new ways… now it’s time to take everything we’ve learned and help build the next chapter. I’m dedicating our energy to this, more than any other company in the world. If this is the future you want to see, I hope you’ll join us. The future will be beyond anything we can imagine.”