The social networks Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, Facebook Inc., will soon be renamed the parent company. That reports the American technology blog The Verge on Tuesday.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to explain that name change for the company, which has been under fire on several fronts for some time, at the company’s annual Connect conference next Thursday.
According to The Verge, the new name will focus on the metaverse, a recent concept that describes the next generation of the internet. The metaverse is a universe in which all virtual spaces are connected. As far as Zuckerberg is concerned, the virtual reality services that Facebook already offers with Oculus should play a major role in that vision.
In July, Zuckerberg said he expects that in the coming years, “people will no longer see us as primarily a social media company, but as a metaverse company.”
The social network Facebook may continue to keep the same name, as do the other Facebook brands that also have billions of users, such as Instagram and Whatsapp. However, the name change would relate to the parent company. Previously, Google already launched a similar rebrand – there, the parent company is called Alphabet Inc.
A Facebook spokesperson declined to comment.