While Facebook’s identity and branding switcheroo will get headlines (especially as it’s a way to avoid its heap of problems), this is obscuring the real human story. Yes, I’m talking about the thousands upon thousands of people who now have a tattoo of Meta’s logo. After spending probably more than I’ll ever make in my lifetime on rebranding, F̶a̶c̶e̶b̶o̶o̶k̶ Meta ended up with a logo shaped like the infinity symbol that also kinda looks like an ‘M’? Mind. Blown. Unfortunately, on top of being lazy design, the infinity symbol sits alongside feathers, swallows, and cursive text as the most popular (and clichéd) tattoos. So I had a question: how do people feel about having Meta’s logo inked on them?
It takes thick skin to get infinity ink done
To be honest, this piece started out as a condescending article about ‘time to invest in tattoo removals’ (written a dude who’s got a tattoo of a book because he… reads books, wow). But as I spoke to people who actually had the tattoo, it became apparent they didn’t give two shits if others felt the infinity symbol was cliché — they all had deeply personal stories to share about what it meant to them. [Read: An exhaustive investigation into Mark Zuckerberg’s saucy bookshelves] For example, Susan* — who lives in Australia — and her partner have matching infinity tattoos representing loving each other “to infinity and beyond.” While Gabriella, a PR manager, got it to represent lost loved ones. Steven on the other hand, who works as a developer, got it to signal his commitment to turning his life around.
— Justsaying Atulya (@WhyJustsaying) October 29, 2021 Cecilia, who used to work at a busy PR firm, is another interesting example. She got her tattoo on a trip to Central America after suffering burnout in her late 20s, the infinity symbol was supposed to represent “eternal freedom.” While she recognizes the circumstances of getting the ink was cliché — a glamorous job in a cut-throat sector, followed by recovery on a sunny beach — she’s never regretted getting it. “I love my mini tattoo,” she told me. It’s part of her personal story, whether people make jokes about it or not.
Meta’s logo isn’t exactly fresh in the corporate world
“My colleagues already tease me because another company logo in our field uses the infinity symbol,” Cecilia wrote. But this doesn’t bother her. She knows the infinity symbol is commonly used, but it’s “attaching personal stories” to the image that make it “truly special.” And others agree. Everyone I spoke to thought Meta’s logo was so uninspiring that it didn’t impact the meaning of their tattoos. “To me, it looks like ancient eyeglasses,” Gabriella said. It doesn’t change her perception of her ink one bit. So after all my interviews, it’s pretty easy to sum up the average infinity-tattooed person’s opinions on the new Meta logo. They don’t give a shit. *Names were changed in the article to respect privacy.
