INTERNATIONAL: The world’s most popular social media app is set to change its name. From next month, you’ll no longer be opening up Facebook. Just what you’ll be opening, the company hasn’t yet said, but it will announce its new name on Thursday 28 October. News that it’s changing its name has sparked reaction the world over.

Facebook is under fire from regulators and lawmakers around the world, tired of its business practices. Mark Zuckerberg says the group is busy planning to rebrand itself with a new corporate name, incorporating Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram. US technology magazine, The Verge, says the move would likely position the Facebook flagship app as one of many products under a parent company overseeing all its branded platforms. All Facebook has said is that the name change will be announced on 28 October, but from Rome to Hong Kong, speculation is swirling as to what its new name could be and why.

Glasgow-based student, Thomas van der Hoven, had this to say:

"Facebook is just obvious because of all the allegations that have come out about how they're using data and how they hide their own studies and whatnot. They're probably just trying to do damage control and whatnot, as well as because they're acquiring all these new things that are releasing new glasses that have cameras in them. So they're trying to pull people back in because the old Facebook name is attached to old people. So all the young people are on Instagram, but everyone's kind of moving off of that. Everyone's moving off of WhatsApp, so they're realising this and they need the ad money. That's probably why."

In Rome, student Vittoria Esteves was equally skeptical:

''We younger people define Facebook as 'the old people's app'. I think the choice to change name is more of a publicity stunt, more of an attention-seeking attempt than a consequence of the latest scandals. It seems more like an attempt by Facebook to renew itself."

As was student Thomas Hamme in Berlin:

"I think it's a way for Facebook to refresh their brand and target the younger public, because Facebook is less and less popular among young people. For example, no one in my younger sister's class has Facebook."

And in Hong Kong, Joanie Lau, has a few ideas for a new name:

"I think Facebook wants to change its name because they want to change their brand image. Facebook has had a lot of negative news in recent years, so they don't want people to associate the company with Facebook anymore, especially since it also has Instagram and Snapchat under the same umbrella. So they want to draw a line and make it clear that Facebook is Facebook. If they want to change the name, it can be changed to "Moment" or "Newsfeed" as the platform is mainly used to share things. Nowadays, many people seldom use Facebook, and everyone mainly uses Facebook to update the current status and Instagram for photo sharing. So if the name changed to "moment" or "Newsfeed," it will be more relevant to the character of the company."

Whatever the new name, it’s unlikely to persuade an increasingly skeptical public that Facebook is a “must-have” app. It is rapidly losing users around the world, tired of being tracked and used as a resource for Facebook’s sales team.

^{PHOTO: FILE OF FACEBOOK APP ON PHONE AND TABLET, FACEBOOK CEO MARK ZUCKERBERG AND COMPANY SIGN/ SOUNDBITES FROM PEOPLE IN ROME, BERLIN, MOSCOW, PARIS, GLASGOW AND HONG KONG COMMENTING ON THE UPCOMING CHANGE OF NAME FOR FACEBOOK GROUP AS REPORTED IN U.S. TECHNOLOGY WEBSITE THE VERGE, SUGGESTING NEW CORPORATE NAME FOR FACEBOOK}