Facebook’s Name Change Is Working

Just not in the way most people thought it would.

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When Facebook changed its name to Meta in late October, observers at outlets from the Washington Post to Time concluded the move was a publicity stunt—one aimed at distracting the public from the social media giant’s endless stream of controversies.

Six weeks later, it seems Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to rename his company is actually working, albeit not in the manner many imagined it might. Though Facebook remains mired in a bog of bad press, its new official name has become all but synonymous with the term “Metaverse.” And this is quite a feat.

To the technologically inclined, the term represents a collection of decentralized virtual worlds where users can adopt personal avatars to explore incorporeal realms. The Metaverse already plays host to everything from concerts (lately featuring the likes of Ariana Grande and The Weeknd) to real estate transactions (stretching into the millions).

But what does the average person think? I ran a Twitter poll asking my followers what first comes to mind upon hearing the word “Metaverse.” The result: a dead heat between Facebook and “decentralized virtual worlds” (23.5% each), with Ready Player One atop the list (38.2%) and “something else” a distant fourth (14.7%).

Zuckerberg didn’t invent the Metaverse any more than Al Gore invented the Internet. But these results suggest Facebook is successfully coopting the term.

Indeed, an even split with “decentralized virtual worlds”—the closest thing to an accurate definition allowed by Twitter’s character limits—is remarkable for an association roughly six weeks old. That’s especially true given the heavily tech-savvy and mostly Millennial makeup of my Twitter following.

Facebook’s name change has already made it synonymous with the Metaverse. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Now, let’s look at the broader world. The vast quantity of mainstream coverage around Facebook’s name change means millions of Boomers, Gen X’ers, and others who’ve never heard of the Metaverse now equate it with Facebook. What’s more, if these people are ever inclined to learn more about the concept, chances are Facebook is where they’ll go first. 

For better or worse (I’ll go with worse), Facebook is becoming intertwined with the Metaverse in the way America Online became equated with the internet in the mid-1990s. Though they are not the same thing, a vast swath of the population assumes they are, and that has massive commercial consequences. We’re talking “Xerox” meaning “copy” or “Kleenex” meaning “tissue” kind of consequences.

Regardless, visionaries will keep pushing boundaries in all sorts of decentralized worlds. They’ll continue to create fascinating new ways to consume art and re-organize institutions. But from where I’m standing, it seems likely Facebook’s name change all but assures the beleaguered social media giant will be synonymous with the Metaverse—at least in name.

And that’s something with ramifications that’ll last a lot longer than a PR stunt.

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WHAT I'M READING NOW: BORBAY

I’m going to the Guggenheim today, because it’s been too long. But I’ve never seen the museum rendered more beautifully than by my artist pal Borbay. He’s painting the Guggenheim every year until his work ends up there, and if you know him, you know it will. A fellow Forbes alum, he writes about the business of art like I cover the business of music. If you’re at all interested in what goes on behind the easel, click here to subscribe for free (and see Borbay’s work).

Yours truly and Borbay, in LA.