Facebook is now Meta – and the internet has something to say about it

The social media giant is rebranding with a new name, but it isn't making people happy

Facebook as Meta also revealed a new logo. Reuters

On Thursday, Facebook said it was changing its company name.

Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg announced the company's new name is Meta. Coinciding with the news, the thumbs-up logo at Facebook headquarters was taken down and replaced with a new infinity-style logo to represent Meta.

As news of the name change broke, the internet reacted.

Formula One reporter Luke Smith alluded to what seems to be Zuckerberg’s simplistic problem-solving skills, writing: “Can't have problems with Facebook if the company isn't called Facebook”.

Producer Adam Lance Garcia posted a picture of Regina George from Mean Girls on Twitter, alongside the words: "Stop trying to make meta happen".

In the 2004 film, the character which is played by Canadian actor Rachel McAdams, is lambasted for trying too hard to make the word "fetch" popular.

Another Twitter user took to social media to draw parallels between Zuckerberg's new metaverse and the hit Netflix show Squid Games.

Zeff Kong wrote: “Let the games begin" in a post alongside an image of the Meta chief next to a similar calling card used by agents in the violent show, which sees hard-up contestants compete to the death for cash.

European bargain supermarket Aldi also joined in the conversation. The company took to Twitter to say it would be right back as it was busy unveiling it’s new name "Betta", alongside a mock-up of a new logo with the tagline, "We betta than all the rest".

Other social media users pointed out the unoriginality of the rebrand with Twitter user Lynn Kelp Mackrill saying the new logo immediately made her think of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Facebook has updated its social media pages with the fresh logo and has a new handle on Twitter for Meta that has more than 13.5 million followers. Zuckerberg also pointed out that the name change will not impact its apps including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp.

But the news of the rebranding did cause the ever-popular #deletefacebook hashtag to trend once more on social media.

Facebook’s name change comes as the company shifts its focus to the metaverse – a new online realm that combines virtual and augmented realities.