Facebook company changes name to Meta, launches virtual universe

CEO Mark Zuckerberg shares his vision for the future, focusing on Facebook's virtual universe, while the social network is facing a major scandal.

During the Connect event taking place at 0:00 on October 29, Facebook introduced the first images of the virtual universe developed by the company itself, called Horizon Home . Mark Zuckerberg said Horizon does not stop at projects for individuals. Facebook plans to launch an enterprise product called Horizon Workroom next year, and capitalize on the NFT trend with Spark AR.

Facebook only changed the name of the company, not the name of the social network

The Facebook CEO also announced that from today, the company will change its name to Meta. The new company consists of two main divisions, one for existing applications and services and one for future plans.

Opening the event, CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed some of the first images of Horizon.

"We're now seen as a social networking company, but we're actually a company built to connect people," said Mark Zuckerberg. This CEO believes that the Facebook brand is too closely tied to a product that is a social network, which can be a barrier to developing future projects.

Opening the event, CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed some of the first images of Horizon. This is like a virtual space, consisting of human-shaped characters with emotions and mouth shapes that change based on voice. In addition, calls or messages are also displayed on a virtual screen.

Facebook's description video shows that users can "meet" in Horizon through a variety of spaces, from concerts, parks, offices to the International Space Station (ISS). Zuckerberg insists Horizon's privacy has been taken into consideration since its early days of development .

Facebook's virtual space also supports many applications to organize objects, communicate, watch movies or play games together. There are 3 main spaces including Horizon Home, Horizon Worlds and Horizon Workrooms.

With Spark AR, Facebook wants to bring activities from real life into the virtual world. This world will have real-life items, and purchases can be based on blockchain technology. Mark Zuckerberg illustrates himself in a virtual world, with a surfing outfit and a face covered in sunscreen.

 Mark Zuckerberg illustrates himself in a virtual world.

Horizon also supports app store to publish and sell items, games or music in virtual space. It also focuses on Horizon's gaming business, with popular games like chess and table tennis. A virtual reality windsurfing game is also available, in which players can challenge their friends to participate.

Facebook revealed GTA San Andreas game will appear on virtual reality glasses Oculus Quest 2 . Several other games are also in development for this model to be released later in the year and in 2022.

Mark Zuckerberg also revealed his ambition to enter the personal training market with Horizon. "It's like cycling with a Peloton machine, but you can do so much more, from boxing to fencing to dancing," the Facebook CEO said.

Mark Zuckerberg demonstrates fencing in a virtual world.

Mark Zuckerberg expressed his desire to make working from home a trend in the virtual world. He thinks the metaverse can help colleagues interact with each other "like being in the same place", while dressing comfortably at home.

When you come to the office, instead of sitting in front of the computer screen, Facebook's "virtual universe" will display information boxes in front of you. Users will use finger gestures to interact and control. These virtual "screens" can be displayed anywhere. Different people can also gather into a virtual room to chat.

The Facebook representative also shared about the benefits of virtual universe education. When learning about planets, users can swipe their hands to interact, "bring" the planets closer to find out detailed information about them, then share on social networks. Exploring historical buildings, the universe, medical practices, or marine life can also be easily interacted in Horizon.

Not only serving users, Facebook's virtual universe promises to be a creative space for designers and celebrities. They can create their own, personal space in Horizon. Celebrities can also hold fan meeting events, sell clothes or accessories in Horizon.

With the Interaction SDK, users can interact with Facebook's virtual universe more realistically by swiping and holding objects. The platform also supports voice search and control through the Voice SDK. Facebook representatives promise to bring better mixed reality experiences in Horizon in the future.

Can the "cicada escape the body" save Facebook?

"Metaverse" is a term borrowed from science fiction, referring to a future version of the Internet. There, people access using VR and AR technology, instead of computers or smartphones. In July, CEO Mark Zuckerberg first publicly announced his idea to turn Facebook into a virtual universe.

The board outside the Facebook campus has been changed to the Meta icon instead of the Like button as before.

Facebook's sudden launch of Metaverse and the renaming of the company shows that efforts to save the company's image after much noise are taking place. Anne Olderog, senior leader at consulting firm Vivaldi with 20 years of experience in brand strategy, thinks Facebook is trying to shift the narrative from its current problems to the metaverse.

"And really, no one understands the metaverse, which is also a wise move," commented Olderog.

Thus, instead of the media continuing to focus on Facebook's current scandal, they have more work to do with the Metaverse that Mark Zuckerberg has just introduced. At the same time, the company's other existing products such as Instagram, WhatsApp . will have a "mother" company, Meta, no longer affected by the scandalous Facebook name.

Talking to Business Insider, Eric Schiffer, CEO of media and technology company The Patriarch Organization said that Facebook will continue to face their troubles. Even so, the platform survives thanks to resources, political savvy, and lobbying power.

"It's not a 'kiss of death' for Mark Zuckerberg, it's a wise move to move into the metaverse and erase some of the stains from the past. It also opens up a new, potentially dominating space. in the next few decades , " added Schiffer.