Facebook has changed its corporate name to Meta as part of a major rebrand.

The company said it would better “encompass” what it does, as it broadens its reach beyond social media into areas like Virtual Reality (VR).

The change does not apply to its individual platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp, only the parent company that owns them.

Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg announced the new name after unveiling plans to build a “metaverse” – an online world where people can game, work and communicate in a virtual environment, often using VR headsets. On a virtual conference, he said:

“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.“

He said the existing brand could not “possibly represent everything that we’re doing today, let alone in the future“, and needed to change.