Meta

Instagram and WhatsApp owner

Meta is the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, rebranded in 2021 to signal its ambitions beyond social media into virtual and augmented reality.

The name change was widely mocked as an attempt to distance from controversy: Meta announced another round of layoffs. (Lowercase meta means self-referential or, in gaming, optimal strategy.)

company

Facebook

Dominant social media platform

InstagramPhoto-sharing social platform
WhatsAppMobile messaging platform
OculusCircular architectural opening

Zuckerberg · metaverse · VR · rebrand · platform · Threads · layoffs

Categories

BrandsNike, Coca-Cola, Apple, Google, Disney
Facebooklike, comment, share, post, friend
tech industrysoftware, computers, semiconductors, hardware, Amazon
corporationsApple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Toyota
Famous FoursDeloitte, KPMG, Amazon, Apple, Google
keyboard keysspace, enter, shift, Tab, tab

Opposites

corporate tech rivals

Short-form video service

Apple · Microsoft · Google · Twitter · print journalism

digital vs physical presence

What actually exists

physical world · real life · IRL · meatspace · offline

referential level

Meaning exactly what's said

direct · straightforward · first-order · concrete · substantive

Phrases

meta dataInformation describing other information
mixed metaphorIncongruent figures jumbled together
extended metaphorFigurative comparison throughout text
meta jokeHumor referencing itself
The MetamorphosisNovella about human-to-insect change
meta tagWebpage's embedded description

Family

metaphor, metamorphosis, metaphysics, metadata

Familiarity: Top 200,000
Profile: Everyday, not technical · Rated G