Is Facebook The Same As Meta?

Posted on February 24, 2025February 24, 2025 by Edith Uche

Is Facebook The Same As Meta? | Who is Facebook? – Who is Meta?

Facebook is one of the world’s largest social media platforms, allowing people to connect, share, and communicate online. It was launched on February 4, 2004, by Mark Zuckerberg and his college roommates at Harvard University. Initially, it was exclusive to Harvard students but later expanded to the public.

Over time, Facebook evolved from a simple networking site to a powerful platform for social interaction, business marketing, entertainment, and news distribution.

What Are The Key Features of Facebook

Facebook provides a variety of features that make it a comprehensive social networking site:

Personal Profiles

A Personal Profile on Facebook is an individual user’s account that allows them to connect with friends, share updates, and interact with content. It includes a profile picture, cover photo, bio, and timeline where users can post text, photos, videos, and stories.

Friends can engage by liking, commenting, or sharing posts. Privacy settings allow users to control who can see their content. Unlike business pages, personal profiles are meant for non-commercial use and have a 5,000-friend limit, though users can enable a Follow option for public posts. Personal profiles also provide access to Messenger for private chats and group conversations

News Feed

The Facebook News Feed is the main content stream where users see updates from friends, groups, and pages they follow. It features posts, photos, videos, shared links, and ads, all curated by Facebook’s algorithm based on user preferences, interactions, and relevance.

Users can like, comment, and share posts, while also customizing their feed by following or unfollowing accounts, prioritizing content, or hiding unwanted posts.

The News Feed continuously updates in real-time, ensuring users stay informed and engaged with trending topics, personal updates, and recommendations tailored to their interests.

Messenger

Facebook Messenger is a standalone messaging app and built-in chat feature of Facebook that allows users to send text messages, voice notes, photos, videos, and documents, as well as make voice and video calls.

It supports group chats, reactions, and custom emojis, enhancing communication. Messenger also offers end-to-end encryption for private conversations, chat themes, and interactive features like polls and games.

Businesses can use Messenger for customer support and marketing through automated chatbots. It integrates with Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, making it a versatile tool for seamless communication across platforms.

Groups & Communities

Users can join or create groups based on interests, professions, or hobbies.

Pages

Facebook Pages are public profiles designed for businesses, brands, celebrities, and organizations to connect with their audience.

Unlike personal profiles, Pages allow unlimited followers who can like and follow updates without requiring mutual approval.

Pages offer tools for marketing, including Facebook Ads, analytics (Insights), automated messaging, and e-commerce features like Shops. Multiple admins can manage a Page with different roles such as Editor, Moderator, or Advertiser.

Pages can post updates, host live streams, and engage with followers through comments and messages, making them essential for brand visibility, customer engagement, and business growth.

Marketplace

A feature where users can buy and sell products locally.

Live Streaming

Allows real-time video broadcasts to followers or friends.

Reels & Stories

Short-form video content similar to Instagram and TikTok. Facebook Reels & Stories are short-form content features designed for quick, engaging visual storytelling.

Reels are short vertical videos (up to 90 seconds) with music, effects, and editing tools, aimed at broad discovery through Facebook’s algorithm. Stories, on the other hand, are temporary posts (photos or videos) that disappear after 24 hours, allowing users to share real-time updates with friends or followers. Both features support stickers, text, filters, and interactive elements like polls and questions. While Stories appear at the top of the News Feed, Reels are promoted in dedicated sections, enhancing visibility and engagement for creators and businesses.

Facebook Ads

Businesses can run targeted advertising campaigns.

Meta Pay

A digital payment service integrated into Facebook for transactions.

Who is Meta? (Parent Company of Facebook)

In October 2021, Facebook rebranded itself as “Meta” to reflect its vision beyond social media. Meta is now the parent company that owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus (VR technology).

Meta focuses on developing the Metaverse, a digital world using virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) to create immersive online experiences.

Meta’s Key Products & Platforms:

Facebook – Social networking platform

Instagram – Photo and video-sharing app

WhatsApp – Messaging and calling service

Messenger – Standalone chat and messaging app

Oculus (Meta Quest) – Virtual Reality (VR) headsets for gaming and digital experiences

Horizon Worlds – A metaverse social platform for virtual interactions