Twitter Inc’s main account wasted no time to take a jibe at rival Facebook, now known as “Meta”, after the latter’s name change. Twitter joined the banter as jokes and memes were unleashed on its platform by users who reacted to Facebook’s name change.
“BIG NEWS lol jk still Twitter,” Jack Dorsey’s social media platform tweeted on its account, clarifying that its brand name was intact. The post has collected over 20,000 retweets and over 1.43 lakh 'likes'.
Fast-food chain McDonald’s chimed in, replying to Twitter: “u never picked up ur 59.6 million McNuggets”.u never picked up ur 59.6 million McNuggets
— McDonald's (@McDonalds) October 28, 2021
Dorsey, meanwhile, shared his own definition of Meta on his personal Twitter account. “meta: referring to itself or to the conventions of its genre; self-referential,” he tweeted. He also retweeted US hamburger chain Wendy's post which announced the changing of its handle name to “Meat”.
meta: referring to itself or to the conventions of its genre; self-referential.
— jack️ (@jack) October 28, 2021
While “Meta” is the new name for Facebook’s parent company, social media platforms Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp will retain their names under the rebranding. The platforms are used by billions around the world.
“As we embark on this next chapter, I’ve thought a lot about what this means for our company and our identity… Today, we’re seen as a social media company. Facebook is one of the most used technology products in the history of the world. It’s an iconic social media brand,” Mark Zuckerberg said.
Facebook’s new name comes as the company battles to fend off one of its worst crises yet and pivot to its ambitions for the "metaverse," which would blur the lines between the physical world and the digital one. Critics have called the name-change an effort to distract from the platform's dysfunction