The Social Network was about 40 minutes too long. It was entertaining at times, and the writing for Mark Zuckerberg character was very well done. Zuckerberg is portrayed as this social misfit, ironic considering he created the biggest social networking website to date. He comes across as incredibly brilliant and confident, but still very much a scared child, trying to rid his demons of his lost love, Albright. His character is layered like an onion, sometimes appearing like a belligerent asshole, and other times, someone whose good intentions are only leading him to hell.
My one sticking point of the movie was it’s authenticity. I found a lot of it hard to believe and quite frankly feel it’s unfair to judge a person’s character based on a fictitious movie that had no contribution from the characters that the story is about.
This was confirmed for me on the blog, http://prpost.wordpress.com/2010/10/10/zuckerberg-hearst-and-hollywood-pr-lessons-learned-from-the-past/ in which Zuckerberg jokes about the movie being fiction. This is the movie BASED on a true story. Not a TRUE STORY. Sure there are some elements of truth in it, but documentaries are not going to make millions at the box office, and since Facebook is the biggest thing since sliced bread, I’m not surprised this movie was made with the intention of entertaining and piggy-backing on the enormous fame associated with Facebook. No one is going to see a real documentary about a bunch of nerds sitting in a dorm writing code for 16 hours a day. There is no drama in that. That kind of thing is better for TV. To paraphrase a quote from the movie, “A million dollars is cool, but you know what’s cooler? A billion dollars”. The makers of this movie don’t give a crap about Mark Zuckerberg and Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t give a crap about what they, or their audience thinks. I’m sure he might feel a little pissed off about how he is portrayed, but he is so much bigger than the movie, it’s like pissing into the ocean.
“We build products that 500 million people see… If 5 million people see a movie, it doesn’t really matter that much” (comment from Ben Parr’s interview).” -Mark Zuckerberg, from the previous link.
As for his responses to the movie, laughing it off and downplaying the significance of it was a smart move. Zuckerberg called it “fun” on Oprah, and though it might come off as arrogant, it’s better than looking petty, especially when you’re the youngest billionaire on the planet. He can’t really win either way, and the less credit he gives to his accusers/critics, the better.
This is not going to change the way people use or really think about Facebook. We all know the problems with oil, yet production and demand keep going up. The purpose it serves now is far greater than anyone’s sense of scruples, and abandoning it in today’s world of networking and instant communications is professional suicide. As altruistic as someone may want to be, they will never be as big as Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook.
The timing of the donation might not have been at the best time, it does appear like he is trying to save face, but ask the Newark school system if they enjoyed the $100 million and see what they say. Maybe an anonymous donation might have been better. From my perspective however, to show the kind of perseverance that Zuckerberg has during this time, and continue to do what he thinks is right without much regard for what his critics think is commendable. Unfortunately for him, he has to say something, he’s huge. He has to say something. Keeping his response minimal as possible is definitely the smarter choice.
At the end of the day, everyone got paid. Facebook accomplished more than anyone could have imagined. The site fills a human desire to be connected with others. To believe that people are listing to them and care about how they feel. A sense of belonging. It’s quite amazing how with more connectivity, people seem to feel more alone. Zuckerberg, I think created the site so he wouldn’t have to feel alone, so he wouldn’t have to feel ostracized because of his wit and intelligence. I have a feeling he is more alone now than ever. One thing I believe the movie nailed right on the head. He might be rich, but is he happy? I don’t know.
at LEAST 40 minutes too long!
ReplyDelete