Twitterati in a froth over possible names for Facebook’s rumoured rebrand
21 October 2021 - 11:08
byNivedita Balu and Antonio Denti
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They’re just a few of the suggestions being bandied around online after reports that Facebook plans to rebrand itself with a new group name. The company refused to comment on rumour or speculation, of course, but the Twitterati had no problem.
The debate careered from sensible to screwball to strange.
“Meta” was one of the more sober trending suggestions, referring to Facebook’s reported desire to assume a name that focuses on the metaverse, a virtual environment where users can hang out.
Bookface, Facegram, Facetagram, FreeFace, FreeTalk, World Changer.
On the wilder side, Twitter user Dave Pell drew a comparison with musician Kanye West who recently changed his name to “Ye”.
“It would be awesome if Facebook changes its name to Ye,” he said.
Several humorous suggestions reflected online speculation that the alleged rebrand was driven by founder Mark Zuckerberg’s yearning to make Facebook “cool” once more.
The platform has been deserted by many younger users who have moved to apps like Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok, and has become increasingly populated by older people.
“Teenage Wasteland”, one wit suggested.
“The Old People’s App because that’s what us younger people call it,” college student Vittoria Esteves told Reuters in Rome.
“Boomerville”, suggested Marco, referring to so-called baby boomers born in the years after World War 2.
‘Streisand effect’
The online naming frenzy was sparked by a report on the Verge tech site that a newly named group would act as a parent for all the company’s brands, including Facebook itself, Instagram and WhatsApp, and reflect a focus on virtual and augmented reality.
An announcement is expected next week, according to the report.
Many suggestions, however, reflected the public’s concern about how the company handles user safety and hate speech. Internal documents leaked by a whistle-blower formed the basis for a US Senate hearing last week.
“Fakebook”, for example. Tracebook.
Other people were sceptical whether a name change would be enough to detract from the growing legal and regulatory scrutiny that has tarnished the company’s reputation.
“It’s going to be the Barbra Streisand effect thing going on,” said 20-year old Glasgow student Thomas van der Hoven, referring to the phenomenon where seeking to suppress something inadvertently turbocharges popular interest in it.
“So they’re going to try and change it, and then that’s just going to put the spotlight on the fact that they’re changing it. Why are they changing this?” he added. “So it’s probably going to spit back in their face at some point.”
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Twitterati in a froth over possible names for Facebook’s rumoured rebrand
Zuckerverse. Timesuck. Faceplant.
They’re just a few of the suggestions being bandied around online after reports that Facebook plans to rebrand itself with a new group name. The company refused to comment on rumour or speculation, of course, but the Twitterati had no problem.
The debate careered from sensible to screwball to strange.
“Meta” was one of the more sober trending suggestions, referring to Facebook’s reported desire to assume a name that focuses on the metaverse, a virtual environment where users can hang out.
Bookface, Facegram, Facetagram, FreeFace, FreeTalk, World Changer.
On the wilder side, Twitter user Dave Pell drew a comparison with musician Kanye West who recently changed his name to “Ye”.
“It would be awesome if Facebook changes its name to Ye,” he said.
Several humorous suggestions reflected online speculation that the alleged rebrand was driven by founder Mark Zuckerberg’s yearning to make Facebook “cool” once more.
The platform has been deserted by many younger users who have moved to apps like Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok, and has become increasingly populated by older people.
“Teenage Wasteland”, one wit suggested.
“The Old People’s App because that’s what us younger people call it,” college student Vittoria Esteves told Reuters in Rome.
“Boomerville”, suggested Marco, referring to so-called baby boomers born in the years after World War 2.
‘Streisand effect’
The online naming frenzy was sparked by a report on the Verge tech site that a newly named group would act as a parent for all the company’s brands, including Facebook itself, Instagram and WhatsApp, and reflect a focus on virtual and augmented reality.
An announcement is expected next week, according to the report.
Many suggestions, however, reflected the public’s concern about how the company handles user safety and hate speech. Internal documents leaked by a whistle-blower formed the basis for a US Senate hearing last week.
“Fakebook”, for example. Tracebook.
Other people were sceptical whether a name change would be enough to detract from the growing legal and regulatory scrutiny that has tarnished the company’s reputation.
“It’s going to be the Barbra Streisand effect thing going on,” said 20-year old Glasgow student Thomas van der Hoven, referring to the phenomenon where seeking to suppress something inadvertently turbocharges popular interest in it.
“So they’re going to try and change it, and then that’s just going to put the spotlight on the fact that they’re changing it. Why are they changing this?” he added. “So it’s probably going to spit back in their face at some point.”
Reuters
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