Review: The Social Network

I have recently seen the latest David Fincher vehicle and came away very impressed. I suppose I was impressed mostly because even though the context of the story is rooted in a medium that has personified the 21st century the themes were very archaic. The story follows the evolution of Facebook and the legal ramifications of its creation by Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg). The story begins with Zuckerberg sputtering inane generalizations to his girlfriend and her subsequent rejection of him because of unique blend of arrogance/awkwardness/anti-socialist behavior. In order to exact a revenge of sorts he gets drunk (which is always a poor decision when one has their heart/ego damaged) and creates “Facesmash” in which he decimates his ex-girlfriend to the entire Harvard University campus.

Zuckerberg is then approached by the Vanderbosh twins(brilliantly played by Armie Hammer) who are the epitome of everything that the middle/lower class despise about the very concept of the Ivy League. Their idea is the create a social network called “The Harvard Connection” in which Harvard students can engage each other socially. The key component in their project is the elitism of it all. Only Harvard students can be part of the network because they are the only ones who will have the appropriate e-mail addresses.

The heart of The Social Network is the profound evolution of Facebook. I personally remember when Facebook was the grown-up version of Myspace. I didn’t want my students to know all of my business and ,at the time, it was just relegated to college students. I never had any idea, and I doubt Zuckerberg did either, as to the sociological phenomenon that Facebook would become. The very premise of Facebook is kind of……….stalker(ish). I mean e-mail, phone number, class schedule, pictures, and all other personal information is available. I’m not saying people use it for said reason but it is out there.

The film tries to establish itself as a Shakespearean drama with the escalation of Zuckerberg and his CFO Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) and their mutual betrayal. Justin Timberlake got rave reviews for his portrayal as supposed Napster founder Sean Parker. And he did execute a good job but Eisenberg stole the show. I always thought of him as the b-team version of Michael Cera and he definitely proves that he can play the sometimes assertive, hyper-intellectual, egomaniacal, genius that Zuckerberg probably is. A lot of people accuse him of being a self-absorbed asshole but I think that most people who create significant contributions have an ego and when you have to legally defend it as much as Zuckerberg has I feel you are slightly entitled to be an asshole.

Facebook has made a quantum leap in communications. Some would argue that it has made us more voyeuristic and detached and that is definitely a valid point. I just see its possible applications as fascinating. While “poking” and posting one’s relationship status as a means of validating it/justifying it to the world can be annoying, the other applications like similar interests in music and social causes, can be positive. I hope that as Facebook evolves so can people. I hope the critics of Facebook aren’t correct and predict the eventual social collapse of humanity based on our inability to effectively communicate without a keyboard.