Did Mark Zuckerburg Watch ‘The Social Network’?
The 2010 film ‘The Social Network’ tells the story of Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and CEO of the world-renowned social media giant, Facebook. The film depicts Mark’s rise to power and the obstacles he faced along the way. It’s easy to assume that the movie, which due to its accuracy has been described as ‘close to a documentary’, was approved by Zuckerberg himself before its release. But the truth is, we may never know for certain whether or not Zuckerberg watched ‘The Social Network’.
It’s no surprise that Zuckerberg has kept relatively quiet about the movie. After all, it’s about his life and personal business decisions. By not speaking about the film, it’s unclear what his reaction and opinion on the movie would have been. Had he seen the movie, it could’ve been seen as a self-promoting activity or in the least, giving the film his stamp of approval. It could also lead to deeper questions over the accuracy of some of the movie’s depictions, proving to be more trouble than it’s worth in the end.
The 2010 Aaron Sorkin film went on to win multiple awards and has since become a subject of study in many classrooms around the world. However, by not talking about it, many don’t know how the real Mark Zuckerberg feels about the portrayal of his character on film. Perhaps he was worried of how the movie’s accuracy would reflect on him and his business.
Over the years, there have been numerous interviews of friends, family, and colleagues of Zuckerberg, all speculating that he has seen the movie and doesn’t outright hate it. His own sister Felicia spoke on the matter, saying that her brother ‘can tease out good from not so good… It would have been hard for me, but he seemed to take it in stride’. Another movie that depicted Zuckerberg’s life, 2017’s ‘The Circle’, was reported to have been approved by Zuckerberg himself.
Although throughout his career, much of Zuckerberg’s private life has been kept under wraps, it seems as though he is also very particular regarding media depictions. It is possible that he followed his standard practice and avoided media overexposure in this case too.
It’s understandable that Zuckerberg would rather focus on expanding and bettering his business ventures than spend his energy with discussing, or even watching, movies about himself. Zuckerberg has always tried to remain focused on his company’s mission instead of giving airtime to anything less related. Furthermore, by not discussing the movie, it detracts attention away from it, which could be the case here, given that less attention would mean less people watching it.
In the end, we may never have an answer to what Mark Zuckerberg thinks of ‘The Social Network’. Despite the vast low of speculations, the film has become an iconic part of internet and tech culture, seen as an allegory of Silicon Valley life at the time.
Background Information
Mark Zuckerberg first launched the social media website, then known as The Facebook, from his university dorm room in February 2004. With the help of Eduardo Saverin and Andrew McCollum, the website started to gain traction, and eventually, received a $12.7 million investment from Accel Partners. From then on, the social media giant grew exponentially. Zuckerberg was at the helm of the company, and became a household name as the company’s success unfolded. The website officially changed its name to Facebook in August 2005 and has since then grown to a user base of over 2.5 billion active users.
The film, based on the 2009 book ‘The Accidental Billionaires’, follows the Harvard undergrad and internet entrepreneur as he embarks on his journey as the founder and CEO of Facebook. Directed by David Fincher, ‘The Social Network’ was a commercial and critical success, earning over $225 million worldwide, and went on to win multiple awards including 3 Academy Awards.
Relevant Data and Perspectives From Experts
The movie was based on interviews and sources close to Zuckerberg and his company. For example, the ‘winklevoss twins’ (Cameron and Tyler Wanlevoss) who, through their lawyer, sued Zuckerberg over intellectual property theft, it was this lawsuit which brought Zuckerberg’s story to the public eye.
Aaron Sorkin, the acclaimed screenwriter who penned the script for ‘The Social Network’, was incredibly careful not to cross the line when it came to the accuracy of the movie. In an interview for 60 Minutes on CBS, Sorkin said: ‘I wanted the audience to have the same feeling they get when they jump into a cold pool; you want that moment of ‘Oh, my God, it’s cold’. We wanted them to feel like ‘Oh, my God, this is really what happened’.
Social media scholars have looked into the movie and the depiction of Zuckerberg to gain insight on topics such as power, leadership, fame, and the ‘internet revolution’. They have found the movie to be an accurate representation of the ‘Tech Elite’, or the modern-day elites of Silicon Valley, something which could’ve been seen as an acknowledgement of Zuckerberg had he talked about it.
Insights and Analysis
For over a decade now, Mark Zuckerberg has kept out of the spotlight regarding the film and hasn’t addressed the matter in public. He did, however, avoid the film’s premiere, buttressing the fact that he doesn’t feel comfortable about a movie about him. It’s possible that he chose to not watch it in order to gain distance from the film altogether.
It’s understandable that Zuckerberg would rather remain silent on the matter as he is notoriously private about his personal life. Maureen Dowd, a columnist for the New York Times, famously said that ‘[Mark] is not comfortable with being celebrified’.
Nevertheless, much of the speculation about ‘The Social Network’ seems to come from people thinking about how they’d react if they were in his shoes. Maybe he just thought the movie was ‘okay’ or maybe he outright despised it, but no matter the impressions, it’s unlikely that someone like Zuckerberg would openly express them.
Expansion of the Topic
The film was made by Hollywood filmmakers and writers and was seen as a realistic one at that, as it accurately portrayed the Silicon Valley culture of the times. Rather than hinting at any particular ideology or political stance, ‘The Social Network’ falls into a reality-based field of films.
Though not officially confirmed by Zuckerberg himself, the movie has been renamed by scholars as a ’21st Century allegory’. This is mainly supported by the writings of Emily Bell, director at the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University, who supports this idea in her 2013 book ‘The Forms and Functions of Civic Media’. Things like online media platforms using algorithms for sorting, such as the ones employed by Facebook, have often come up when talking about ‘The Social Network’.
The cast, as well as the writers and director, had given multiple interviews on the matter, with most of them stating they were familiar with Facebook and the history surrounding the company and its founders. Jesse Eisenberg, who portrayed Zuckerberg in the movie, said ‘I wasn’t deeply involved in social networks, but I remember hearing about the rise of Facebook, long before this movie’.
It’s undeniable that the movie had struck a chord with audiences, both in the tech industry and beyond, who had an opinion on the film and its accuracy. According to Gartner’s 2019 Digital marketing report, the movie accurately portrayed the modern-day digital era, something which Zuckerberg could be, consciously or subconsciously, aware of.
Engaging and Educating The Reader
The question of whether or not Zuckerberg has seen ‘The Social Network’ remains unanswered, with most opinions about the topic being pure speculation. We may never find out how Zuckerberg has reacted, or even if he’s seen the movie.
Nevertheless, the movie has become iconic, and no matter the inaccuracies in it, has opened up a larger dialogue on Silicon Valley power structures, the tech elite, and the students who created the internet revolution. This is something which many tech enthusiasts, Zuckerberg included, could recognize, and understand.
By viewing the movie from a less biographical/historical perspective, and more of a narrative, we can gain insight on the ideological aspects of the internet revolution. We are able to engage in conversations about the societal dynamics and partake in debates about the technological implications of the internet and its powers.
The movie has opened the window to discussions about the social implications and consequences of the internet, leaving us questioning our power structures and technological influences in modern-day society. Above all, ‘The Social Network’ has provided us with a better understanding of the ‘Tech Elite’, such as Mark Zuckerberg.
