Facebook has decided it’s time to let everyone know who’s in charge. The company, which has faced increasing scrutiny from the public and regulators because of digital privacy, wants to rebrand its other apps: Instagram and WhatsApp. Both the company’s other social platforms will now bear the Facebook name with (perhaps undeserved) pride.
A report published on The Information details Facebook’s plans to change the names of their other social apps to ‘Instagram from Facebook‘ and ‘WhatsApp from Facebook.’
#DeleteFacebook
Facebook plans to change the name you see in the Google Play and the App Store, as well as the name on the login page of each platform. And they’re quite serious about it. The addition of ‘from Facebook’ has started rolling out to the public. Reports suggest that the names of the apps in the home screen won’t change, as there is limited space. Putting Instagram from Facebook on your Home screen might mess with your Feng Shui.
“But Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has also been frustrated that Facebook doesn’t get more credit for the growth of Instagram and WhatsApp. Associating those apps with Facebook could improve the overall companies’ brand with consumers,” The Information reports.
The social media company hasn’t had the best reputation… for several months, or even years. It could be argued that it’s smarter for Facebook not to add its name to other platforms. Such a move might limit how Facebook’s poor press influences other services. But this current choice may be a strategic decision of another sort. By adding a ‘from Facebook’ to WhatsApp and Instagram, the company may be saying: Look, you can totally trust us, because we make less-controversial apps too.
Even so, we’re convinced this is a bad idea. Facebook should, ideally, keep the apps as separate as possible. They are obviously distinct products, aimed at different groups of people and serve different purposes. Instagram and WhatsApp users don’t need to be reminded these apps are owned by Facebook. That separation is part of what keeps some comfortable with Instagram after deleting their Facebook account years ago. That’s what keeps us on them, but it seems that Facebook isn’t especially interested in that…
Source: The Information
