Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg Owns Two Of The Biggest Social Media Platforms In The World. He Now Thinks This Experience On Phones Is 'Anti-Social,' And Why He's Focused On Ray-Ban Smart Glasses

Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta Platforms Inc. META, acknowledged that the current social media experience on smartphones is “anti-social.” This revelation is part of the reason why he is focusing on the development of Ray-Ban smart glasses.

What Happened: Zuckerberg, in a recent interview with South Park Commons, a San Francisco-based tech community, highlighted the limitations of the social media experience on small screens. This, he says, is a driving factor behind the development of the Ray-Ban smart glasses.

“When you’re building social apps, it’s kind of this weird thing that you primarily are delivering through this tiny little screen that people carry around,” said Zuckerberg.

Meta, the parent company of major social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads, is looking to revolutionize the social media experience. According to Statista, Meta has 3.5 billion – or a little less than half the world’s population – using one of its services at least once a month.

However, Zuckerberg believes that the current format, primarily accessed through small, brightly lit screens, is “anti-social.”

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“It’s part of the reason why I care so much about glasses. It’s just such a more natural thing,” said Zuckerberg.

The Ray-Ban smart glasses, announced in 2020, offer features such as photo-taking, Instagram live streaming, and the use of Meta’s AI assistant for queries. Despite not having augmented reality like the Meta Quest virtual reality headset, Zuckerberg is confident that the wearable tech will gain popularity.

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Why It Matters: Zuckerberg’s acknowledgment of the limitations of the current social media experience aligns with the ongoing evolution of wearable tech. Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses have been gaining traction in the market, with the company acquiring a 5% stake in EssilorLuxottica ESLOY  to bolster the development of the device.

Rival Apple Inc. AAPL is reportedly developing a potential competitor to Meta’s smart glasses, named Apple Glass. However, it may not hit the market for several years more.

Moreover, EssilorLuxottica, the maker of Ray-Ban, has attracted interest from other major tech companies, including Alphabet Inc.‘s GOOGL GOOG Google, for potential partnerships.

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Photo courtesy: Ray-Ban

This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Kaustubh Bagalkote