Instagram and WhatsApp are changing their names because of Facebook — here's what it means for you

A lot of people don't know Facebook owns Instagram and WhatsApp – that's about to change 
Priscilla Du Preez / Unsplash
Amelia Heathman5 August 2019

Social media giant Facebook has owned Instagram and WhatsApp for years, since 2012 and 2014 respectively, however, the links between the three social media platforms have all been relatively subtle. Until now.

Facebook is making more of a stamp on the apps by changing their names. According to The Information, Instagram and WhatsApp will soon be known as ‘Instagram from Facebook’ and ‘WhatsApp from Facebook’ on the Google and Apple App Stores as well as on your phone.

Facebook has confirmed the report is true, saying in a statement: “We want to be clearer about the products and services that are part of Facebook.”

It’s interesting that the company has decided to put its mark on other social networks in such an obvious way considering the fact it has owned them for years already, and also how low the company’s reputation is in the eyes of a lot of people.

However, it demonstrates how the parent company wants to bring together its apps even more. A New York Times report earlier this year said Facebook wants to integrate the messaging services of WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger in order to keep up engagement within Facebook’s network of users. As part of these new changes, staff working on Instagram’s messaging feature Direct, will now report to the team behind Facebook’s separate Messenger app.

Facebook is reportedly planning to merge its messenger apps
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

There could be another reason behind the name change. The Information also reports that Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg is apparently frustrated that Facebook doesn’t get more credit for the growth of the two platforms since they have been under his wing.

It shouldn’t really affect your day-to-day usage of these platforms, which is why most people won’t really care about the changes. According to a survey by web browser DuckDuckGo last year, 56 per cent of Americans didn’t know Facebook owns Instagram, and 45 per cent didn’t know that Google owns YouTube – which it has done since 2006 if you were also in that camp.

Yet given how much time we spend on social media, an average of 136 minutes per day globally, which is over two hours, it is concerning that people aren’t aware of who owns the platforms they are regularly using to share information about themselves.

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