Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook would be re-branding to Meta in 2021, but what exactly is Meta, and why does it matter to you?
The renaming of Facebook to Meta came as a big surprise to most regular users of the app/service, but since it happened we’ve been hearing a lot more about Meta and its plans for the future.
If you’re interested in finding out why the company decided to rebrand, check out our article on the topic. If you’re interested in what Meta is and the services that it offers, read on for more info.
What is Meta?
Meta describes itself as a company that builds technologies that help people connect and find communities, as well as grow businesses.
Meta has been marketing itself as a social technology company, offering services like virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and Smart Glasses, the latter is the latest endeavour it’s waded into.
Meta has five core principles. They are giving people a voice: building connections across communities, making technology accessible, keeping people safe by protecting privacy and promoting economic opportunity for business to create jobs for a better economy.
These principles are intended to ensure that Meta is a safe place to reside in for all users, promoting and sharing ideas and thoughts in an open environment.
Meta is currently building up a VR social platform called Horizon Worlds. To learn even more about Horizon Worlds, you can check out our explainer. Horizon Worlds is a social hub that you can experience via VR and includes several destinations within the Metaverse, all of which have distinct features and goals.
What is the Metaverse?
The Metaverse is a place that users can visit, either through VR/AR or through a device like a phone or a laptop, a virtual space that people can browse within Meta.
The aim of the Metaverse is to connect people when they can’t be physically in the same location, with the company calling it the successor to mobile internet. If you’re looking for a comparison, games like Minecraft and Roblox offer similar experiences, giving users the chance to communicate online and create spaces that are personalised and immersive.
However, the Metaverse stands out compared to these types of games, as it is not simply a game and also has the benefit of technologies like VR and AR being supported to produce a more immersive experience for users. It also has a specific focus on economic growth and businesses, giving it a wider target audience than games like Minecraft.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
