On Thursday, Facebook’s announcement that the company would henceforth be called Meta was widely ridiculed on social media.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said at a virtual news conference on Thursday that “Meta” will better “encompass” the company’s overall mission as it builds a “metaverse” for its users:
“Over time, I hope that we are seen as a metaverse company and I want to anchor our work and our identity on what we’re building towards.”
Social media users especially in Israel poked fun at Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who is Jewish because “meta” is pronounced like the feminine form of the Hebrew word for “dead.”
Meta means “dead” in Hebrew (feminine adjective).
Mark Zuckerberg must have slept through Hebrew class. pic.twitter.com/B7W9273EGK— Emmanuel Navon עמנואל נבון 🇮🇱 (@emmanuelnavon) October 28, 2021
Dr. Nirit Weiss-Blatt, a tech expert, also tweeted on Thursday, “In Hebrew, *Meta* means *Dead*.”
“The Jewish community will ridicule this name for years to come,” she added.
In Hebrew, *Meta* means *Dead*
The Jewish community will ridicule this name for years to come.— Nirit Weiss-Blatt, PhD (@DrTechlash) October 28, 2021
The name change followed explosive disclosures by whistleblower Frances Haugen, who’s accused the company of putting profit over safety time and time again.
Here’s what others have to say about Facebook’s recent name change:
The funniest thing that happened was the creation of META
Make Everything Trump Again
Mark Zuckerberg is likely kicking stuff around the office right now
Oh, and BTW, #meta means “dead” in HebrewZuck must’ve been asleep that day during religion class#MakeEverythingTrumpAgain pic.twitter.com/ewGV5M2cUT
— Lisa Ann Michael 🚂🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@TheBronxxKid44) October 29, 2021
Facebook changing their corporate name to Meta isn’t going to change the underlying facts. They’re a monopoly. They crush competition. And they refuse to control the spread of misinformation and harmful content on their site. We need to break up Facebook. pic.twitter.com/Gha9PUxAoz
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) October 29, 2021
We are very honoured that @facebook felt inspired by the logo of our migraine app – maybe they’ll get inspired by our data privacy procedures as well 👀 🤓
#dataprivacy #meta #facebook pic.twitter.com/QY7cota36r— M-sense Migräne (@msense_app) October 29, 2021
Read more of this report from WND:
Zuckerberg said the name Facebook does not cover “everything we do” at a time when his empire includes Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, its Quest VR headset, its Horizon VR platform, and more.
Zuckerberg explained that a metaverse is a form of the virtual world where everyone is connected by virtual reality headsets, augmented reality glasses, and phone apps.
Sounds chic. But the label? Aye, there’s the rub.
In Portuguese and Spanish, the word is not so troubling because it means “goal.” In Brazil, however, the word has a sexual connotation, according to Bloomberg.
Zuckerberg’s announcement was a boon for Nova Scotia-based Meta Materials. The company’s stock rose 26 percent in after-hours trading on Thursday, when Zuckerberg made his announcement, and another 6 percent on Friday, according to Reuters.
George Palikaras, the CEO of Meta Materials, tweeted a metaverse welcome to Facebook.
On behalf of @Metamaterialtec I would like to cordially welcome @Facebook to the #metaverse. #GoBeyond $MMAT #AR #VR Meta, meet META® 🙂 https://t.co/8gOgkYTvSl pic.twitter.com/2i2PMKwzFA
— George Palikaras (@palikaras) October 28, 2021
Name changes can often fail in translation.
Kentucky Fried Chicken learned that when it entered the Chinese market in the 1980s, according to the BBC.
The restaurant’s “finger-lickin’ good” motto, when translated into Mandarin, came out “eat your fingers off.”
Sources: WND, The Western Journal, Reuters, Bloomberg, BBC
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