On Thursday, October 28th, Mark Zuckerburg, the owner of Facebook, shared that he is changing the name of Facebook to Meta. This social media platform, which has an impact on so many of our lives, has stirred controversy with its users. One reason for this controversy is due to the  Hebrew meaning of “Meta” as “dead.” Zuckerberg, growing up in a reformed Jewish household, should have an understanding of such a dramatic word becoming the face of his company. Another discussion over this new name has sprouted questions over a related book, Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson, who says that he had no clue about the renaming of Facebook. The book is set in a dystopian future where there is an extremely classist system where people escape and enter a virtual reality called the Metaverse, and eventually throughout the book the lines between the augmented reality and actual reality blur. 

The transition from Facebook to Meta will introduce a new reality to the Facebook world, creating a new virtual reality for users. Having to be on a completely different type of software will be more difficult for people to learn. The new software will include a virtual reality experience. Users will be able to create their own space and talk to people as if they are in person, the way that Meta is going to achieve this is through VR headsets. Facebook has sent out a few of its metaverse projects already, Horizon World, which allows people to invite others to their digital space, and Horizon Workrooms, which is a more professional version of Horizon World.