In a move that appears to be quite widely derided, Facebook has decided that it is going to forcibly remind everybody who owns Instagram and WhatsApp, by officially rebranding them.
The wildly original new names for the products will be: “Instagram from Facebook” and “WhatsApp from Facebook.”
Just in case you forgot that Facebook owned your Instagram and WhatsApp accounts.
Why Change?
According to Facebook, they want “to be clearer about the products and services that are part of Facebook” as well as improve links between their products. (For the same reason, messaging systems on all Facebook platforms are in the process of becoming interchangeable, so you’ll be able to seamlessly send a message from one platform, to a user on another.)
Of course, that’s just one reason. Another reason, is apparently their increased efforts to make Facebook a “privacy-focused” platform which, in the aftermath of things like the Cambridge Analytica scandal, not to mention Facebook’s own FTC hearings, may seem a little dubious.
Declining Popularity
Despite the platforms massive user-base and high activity levels, younger Facebook users continue to decline. They are still using Instagram and WhatsApp though, so some have speculated that this is part of an attempt to improve Facebook’s image by association.
Of course, it’s always possible that the move could backfire spectacularly, and remind the users of those apps that they’re actually still effectively on Facebook.
Time will tell.