On October 28, 2021, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg introduced his company’s revamped brand name and identity – Meta – inspired by the goal of bringing the “metaverse” to life. According to the Meta website, the “metaverse” is supposed to represent “the next evolution of social connection” as an immersive, digital world where users can play virtual games, attend virtual concerts, customize their avatars with clothing, shop for virtual goods, and basically anything that you can think to do online. Essentially, the “metaverse” that Meta is striving to build towards is supposed to create a world of endless, interconnected virtual communities where people can meet and connect like never before.
If you want to learn more about Meta and how they want to create this metaverse, here is the official announcement video:
This new development in the tech world seems especially relevent to our current reading response assignments, which have been focusing on how designers have both succeeded in creating collective experiences or failed to design for the “in-between.” I truly wonder if Facebook’s new rebranding will successfully become a form of meaningful connection or if the “metaverse” is a concept that should stay strictly in sci-fi novels.
