Iceland spoofs Mark Zuckerberg’s ‘Meta’ unveiling in tourism video

The metaverse is getting an icy reception from an unexpected place: Iceland.

A tourism video ad by the country on Thursday spoofed Mark Zuckerberg and his unveiling last month of the virtual world he expects people will work, play and interact with each other while wearing a virtual reality headset.

In the video, the Mr. Zuckerberg look-alike dons a dark ensemble and a short combed-forward hairstyle like the Meta Platforms Inc. chief executive officer. The doppelgänger looks into the camera, urging people to visit "Icelandverse," a place that has "water that’s wet," where "silly looking headsets" aren’t needed and has real "humans to connect with."

The real Mr. Zuckerberg, who envisions the metaverse as the future of the internet, didn’t seem to have any hard feelings.

"Amazing," wrote Mr. Zuckerberg in a Facebook comment under the video. "I need to make a trip to the Icelandverse soon."

Mr. Zuckerberg last month unveiled his vision of the metaverse, showing off a virtual world where avatars can head to work meetings or watch a concert. Facebook Inc. changed its name to Meta Platforms Inc., a decision that reflects the company’s perceived growth opportunities beyond its namesake social-media platform.

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The two-minute spoof video, made by Inspired by Iceland, which promotes the country’s sites to tourists, had just over 100,000 views on YouTube Friday afternoon and more than 500,000 views on Facebook.

Inspired by Iceland didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

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In one scene, the man spoofing Mr. Zuckerberg wears a thick coat of white sunscreen, an apparent reference to a popular meme of Mr. Zuckerberg surfing with a face full of the white cream.

"Glad you’re wearing sunscreen too," Mr. Zuckerberg said in his Facebook comment, ending it with a sideways laughing emoji.