Facebook:

Overview: Facebook is one of the world's largest social networking platforms, launched in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and his college roommates. It allows users to connect with friends and family, share updates, photos, videos, and engage with content from brands, organizations, and communities.

Features: Facebook offers a range of features, including personal profiles, pages for businesses and organizations, groups for like-minded individuals, events, marketplace for buying and selling goods, and advertising tools for businesses to reach their target audience.

Evolution to Meta: In October 2021, Facebook announced its rebranding to Meta Platforms, Inc., reflecting its broader vision beyond social networking. The rebranding came alongside the announcement of a renewed focus on the metaverse, a virtual reality space where users can interact with each other and digital objects in a more immersive way.

Meta Platforms, Inc.:

Parent Company: Meta Platforms, Inc. is the parent company of Facebook and its suite of social media platforms. It was formerly known as Facebook, Inc. but rebranded to Meta to reflect its expanded focus on building the metaverse and developing new technologies related to virtual and augmented reality.

Metaverse Vision: Meta's vision for the metaverse involves creating a shared virtual space that blurs the line between the physical and digital worlds. It aims to build immersive experiences where people can work, play, socialize, and create in virtual environments.

Investments in Virtual Reality: Meta has heavily invested in virtual reality (VR) technology through its Oculus brand, producing VR headsets like the Oculus Rift and Oculus Quest. The company sees VR as a key enabler of the metaverse and is working on developing VR experiences and applications.

Other Platforms: In addition to Facebook, Meta owns other popular social media platforms, including Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. These platforms continue to operate under their respective brands within the Meta services ecosystem.

In summary, Meta Platforms, Inc. is the parent company of Facebook and other social media platforms, with a renewed focus on building the metaverse and advancing virtual reality technology. While Facebook remains a prominent social networking platform, Meta's vision extends beyond traditional social media to encompass a broader range of immersive digital experiences.