Facebook's name change has been roundly mocked on social media, and perhaps nowhere more so than in Israel: Meta sounds like the Hebrew word for "dead".

As images of Facebook's name superimposed on a tombstone were shared online, Dr Nirit Weiss-Blatt, a tech expert, wrote in a tweet directed towards Facebook's communications team: "In Hebrew, *Meta* means *Dead*." The author of The Techlash and Tech Crisis Communication added: "The Jewish community will ridicule this name for years to come." Meta sounds like the feminine form of the Hebrew word.

Another Twitter user posed the question: "Perhaps that's a message? Disclaimer: I'm not a conspiracist." And another wrote: "Maybe Facebook (I guess Meta now?) should have done some focus groups on the rebranding. #FacebookDead"