Ted Byfield on Mon, 8 Nov 2021 15:37:52 +0100 (CET)


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Re: <nettime> “Meta”


I agree with Brian that Facebook's "rebranding" isn't an urgent problem in its own right, but I disagree with the rhetorical gambit of introducing a preferred subject by dismissing another. There are lots of genuinely important subjects that never get a word on nettime, and it isn't hard to see why "Meta" would be of particular interest to many people on this list.

That said, a few thoughts — and don't be dissuaded by the massive block of text quoted below.

(1) It seems pretty obvious that the rebranding serves in part to cover for a corporate restructuring aimed at insulating Facebook against growing threats of regulation. The company needs to be broken up, and not in the presumptive "break off Instagram and WhatsApp" way that's usually bounced around. The breakup of AT&T is a better model: split FB into a host slew of competing RBOC-like "Babyfaces" that are forced to (a) interoperate according well-documented protocols and standards, (b) compete on the basis of features, and (c) faced with draconian rules when it comes to tolerating civil- and human-rights abuses. When I mentioned that (on FB, naturally) Shiva Vaidyanathan — a legitimate expert on the subject, if ever there was one — intervened, saying that way of thinking is mired in the 20th C, that FB is unprecedented, etc, etc. Sorry, no: what it *does* may be unprecedented, but at bottom it's a corporation. There's no doubt that protecting its current officers, assets, and operations was a consideration in the rebranding; the only question is how high it was as a priority. My guess: very high.

(2) Proposing a trademark is a legal process, and the filing entity has to disclose what it imagines the trademark covers. The scale and scope of FB's proposal defy description. Even when you discount the tendency of IP lawyers to law claim to the known universe and beyond, this proposal is first and foremost evidence of the — no exaggeration here — *sovereign* ambitions of FB's C-suite. Brace yourself:

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Near eye display optics, namely, video display screens for mounting near a user's eyes and lenses for displaying images to a user; Near eye display systems comprised of GPS sensors, accelerometers, magnetometers, directional compasses, environment temperature sensors, and electronic tip and tilt orientation sensors; Near eye display systems comprising computer hardware, electronic display interfaces, and software for the generation and display of virtual reality and mixed reality content; Near eye display systems comprising computer hardware, electronic display interfaces, and software specifically adapted for goggles; Near eye display systems comprising eyewear and software for the generation and display of standard reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality content; Near eye displays; Network communication apparatus, namely, mobile and wearable digital electronic devices for the sending and receiving of text, data, audio, image, and video files across networks; Pedometers; Peripherals for mobile devices, namely, pedometers and altimeters; Personal assistant software; Personal digital assistants; Personal electronic devices used to track fitness goals and statistics; Personal fitness trackers; Personal video display devices in the nature of wearable displays for viewing digital content including virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality content; Personal video display screens; Portable, handheld, and personal digital electronic devices for recording, organizing, transmitting, manipulating, reviewing, and receiving text, data, and digital files; Remote control apparatus for wearable computer hardware and smartwatches; Sensors for scientific use to be worn by a human to gather human biometric data, mobile and wearable digital electronic devices for recording, organizing, transmitting, manipulating, and reviewing text, data, audio, image and video files; Smart glasses; Smart glasses with wired and wireless audio capability; Smartwatch bands; Smartwatch straps; Smartwatches; Social assistant software; Software and firmware for controlling, configuring and managing controllers; Software and firmware for displaying video games and electronic media on display screen devices provided as updates for or in combination with head-mounted display screen devices; Software and firmware for operating system programs; Software and firmware for video drivers and video processing provided as updates for or in combination with head-mounted display screen devices; Software and firmware for enabling electronic devices to share data and communicate with each other; Software driver programs for electronic devices for enabling computer hardware and electronic devices to communicate with each other; Software for advertisers to communicate and interact with online communities; Software for alerts, messages, emails, and reminders, and for recording, organizing, transmitting, manipulating, reviewing, and receiving text, data, audio, image and digital files and display screens; Software for communicating by wireless local area networks, wireless technologies, and other communication protocols between near-eye display systems and network devices, namely, mobile phones, smart phones, computers, tablets, and other computer systems; Software for converting natural language into machine-executable commands; Software for creating and managing social media profiles and user accounts; Software for creating, editing, uploading, downloading, accessing, viewing, posting, displaying, tagging, blogging, streaming, linking, annotating, indicating sentiment about, commenting on, embedding, transmitting, and sharing or otherwise providing electronic media or information via computer and communication networks; Software for creating, managing and accessing groups within virtual communities; Software for creating, managing, and interacting with an online community; Software for facilitating and arranging for the financing and distribution of fundraising and donations; Software for generating images to be displayed in near-eye display system; Software for integrating electronic data with real world environments for the purposes of entertainment, education, gaming, communicating, and social networking; Software for modifying and enabling transmission of images, audio, audio visual and video content and data; Software for online charitable fundraising services and financial donation services; Software for ordering and/or purchasing goods and services; Software for organizing, searching for and managing events; Software for planning activities with other users, making recommendations; Software for processing images, graphics, audio, video, and text; Software for recording, storing, transmitting, receiving, displaying and analyzing data from wearable computer hardware; Software for smart phones and other computer systems to generate data, images, and audio for display in near-eye display systems and for transmitting such data, images, audio to near-eye display systems; Software for smart phones and other computer systems to receive data from near-eye display systems; Software for social and destination mapping; Software for social networking; Software for streaming multimedia entertainment content; Software for the collection, managing, editing, organizing, modifying, transmission, sharing, and storage of data and information; Software for tracking motion in, visualizing, manipulating, viewing, and displaying augmented, mixed and virtual reality experiences; Software for use as an application programming interface (API); Software for use in creating and designing virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality software; Software for wireless content, data and information delivery; Software in the nature of a mobile application; Software that enables individuals, groups, companies, and brands to create and maintain an online presence for marketing purposes; Software, namely, an interpretive interface for facilitating interaction between humans and machines; Telecommunications apparatus and instruments, namely, speakers and microphones sold as component features of computers, mobile and wearable digital electronic devices for the sending and receiving of telephone calls, text messages, electronic mail, and other digital data, and for use in providing access to the internet; Virtual reality glasses; Virtual reality headsets; Virtual reality software; Virtual reality software for interactive entertainment; Virtual reality software for navigating a virtual reality environment; Virtual reality software for object tracking, motion control and content visualization; Virtual reality software for operating virtual reality headsets; Virtual reality software for users to experience virtual reality visualization, manipulation and immersion; Virtual, augmented, and mixed reality software for use in enabling computers, video game consoles, handheld video game consoles, tablet computers, mobile devices, and mobile telephones to provide virtual, augmented, and mixed reality experiences; Watches, bracelets, and wrist bands that communicate data to personal digital assistants, smart phones, and personal computers through Internet websites and other computer and electronic communication networks; Waterproof near eye display systems comprising computer hardware, electronic display interfaces, and software for the generation and display of virtual reality and mixed reality content; Wearable activity trackers; Wearable computer peripherals; Wearable computing devices comprised primarily of software and display screens for connection to computers, tablet computers, mobile devices, and mobile phones in order to enable virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality world experiences; Wearable digital electronic devices comprised primarily of software for alerts, messages, emails, and reminders, and for recording, organizing, transmitting, manipulating, reviewing, and receiving text, data, audio, image and digital files and display screens; Wearable digital electronic devices, namely, glasses, goggles, and headsets; Wearable electronic devices, namely, watches, bracelets, and wristbands that are comprised of software that communicates data to personal digital assistants, smart phones, and personal computers through Internet websites and other computer and electronic communication networks; Wearable peripherals for computers, tablet computers, mobile devices and mobile telephones, namely, configurable head-mounted displays; Wireless computer peripherals

See for yourself:

	https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=97097363&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch

So, to wrap all this around, "Meta" maybe be dumb, but Facebook itself has become a world-historical force and will do everything it can to become a bigger one. It needs to be addressed as such. To the extent that its rebranding has given us an opportunity (and evidence) to see the threat it poses in a new light, it's supremely important.

Cheers,
Ted

On 5 Nov 2021, at 20:20, Joseph Rabie wrote:

>> ...out pops, the shiny forehead of zuck to suggest his "new vision of meta" - name-changer for FB, re-branding never profited so good...
>
>
> I wonder if the Zuckerberg (Sugar Mountain) big new meta vision has only to do with getting Facebook botoxed, or if it is some sort of preemptive strike before Apple comes out with their very own virtual reality headgear, apparently in the works. After all, Zuckerberg has never had the imagination to really do anything with Oculus, beyond taking over the company that made it.
>
> One can presume that Apple will conceive of that sort of virtual reality as the centre of an entire ecology (the metaphor is badly chosen, but no other comes to mind) of things. In the same way that the iPhone derived meaning from apps, it will be the locus of a carefully constructed ersatz but nonetheless highly efficient and seductive environment.
>
> Zuckerberg is probably shitting himself at the thought that the metavers will be all about “Think Apple”, and that Facebook will just be a part.
>
> Joe
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