The Social Network—A Film About Miscommunications that Shaped the Way We Communicate

Yesterday marked the theatrical debut of The Social Network.  Based on the book Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich, Social Network tells the story of several Harvard students from all castes of Cambridge and how a bright idea turned business venture brought them together, tore them apart, and changed the way we communicate.

A big fan of Mezrich’s work, and the subsequent movies to follow, I couldn’t wait to see Social Network.  Critics questioned the sensationalism of Accidental Billionaires, with its lack of authoritative sources and an admission of added drama by the author.  Still the basic storyline rings true: 

Mark Zuckerberg—a nerdy, attention-deficit computer science major from Harvard—and his schoolmate Eduardo Saverin form a business partnership to create an online community.  Saverin provides the bucks, Zuckerberg the brains.  It was to allow users to build profiles about themselves and connect with others.  The Facebook, as it was originally called, was going to be different than similar services like MySpace or Friendster.  For one, Facebook was going to be exclusive; no you@harvard.edu email, no entry. 

Zuckerberg’s rise from a nobody to something of a rebel of notorious fame begins with him hacking the Harvard campus network.  He then uses stolen data to set up a website called facemash.com wherein users play a hot-or-not ranking game, judging those of the female persuasion.  Zuckerberg's story makes the Harvard Criminson and he's nearly expelled from the ivy-covered confines.  Zuckerberg's newfound publicity finds him in the company of unlikely friends:  twin brothers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss.  The Winklevoss twins—members of the elite crew rowing team—are athletic, popular, and head-and-shoulders above Zuckerberg (at 6-foot-5, both literally and socially!).  But no matter.  A partnership is formed wherein Zuckerberg will write code for a social networking site idea the twins have brainstormed but can’t get off the ground. 

Despite signing on, Zuckerberg dodges the Winklevosses and instead continues to write code for his own site idea.  The Facebook goes live and is an instant hit.  The Winklevosses are not impressed and begin the proceedings that lead to legal action. 

The story takes a cross country twist from Cambridge to California as more schools sign on to the rapidly growing Facebook phenomenon and Sean Parker—creator of Napster notoriety—gets involved. 

Once in Silicone Valley, and helped along by angel investors, Facebook (the has been dropped from the name) mushrooms into the billion-dollar empire that it is today.  Ironically Zuckerberg, who founded a communication phenomenon that revolves around “friending” others, finds himself strangely alone as he faces two lawsuits, one from business dealings gone bad with Eduardo Saverin and another from the Winklevosses. 

While Accidental Billionaires may be over sensationalized to begin with, The Social Network remains relatively true to the hardcover.  Shying away from the technical, business, and engineering aspect of it, this story capitalizes on the drinking, sex, drugs, parties, and glamour that surrounded the buildup of New Media phenomena.  Of course Hollywood was all too happy to oblige in putting such themes on the big screen while keeping it just "clean" enough to earn a PG-13. 

Overall, however, The Social Network is a gripping and interesting movie worth a watch.  The shell of the plot gives viewers some insight into what went on behind the scenes as Facebook, friending, poking, and a totally new realm of communication was born in the virtual community.

A WORD ON DIGITAL PROJECTION

I enjoyed this movie in digital projection which Regal Entertainment defines as, “[using] one of several different technologies to provide maximum fidelity:  a picture with impressive clarity, brilliance and color and a lack of scratches, fading and flutter.”  Based on that definition, I’d have to agree that there was less noticeable static and visual “noise” on the screen.  Had I not read this beforehand, I probably wouldn’t have seen a big difference.  Glad this didn’t cost extra.