Baby, You're a Rich Man

The Social Network is the story of the beginning of Facebook and the subsequent lawsuits against its creator, Mark Zuckerberg (reportedly the youngest billionaire). I was interested in seeing this movie to see what all the hype was about and because Aaron Sorkin wrote the screenplay. (I also wanted to see the actress who will be playing Lisbeth Salander in the American version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but that’s another story).

Two main aspects of the movie stood out to me: the study of Zuckerberg’s character and the commentary on the Internet and social networking. It’s quite interesting to me that the movie gives such a negative portrayal of a prominent person and that I haven’t really heard much from Zuckerberg about this. He’s seen as socially awkward, pedantic, annoying, and self-conscious. And that’s not even getting to the reasons for the lawsuits against him. In fact, I can’t think of any character in the movie that is truly likable or good. Oh, maybe one of his lawyers seems sympathetic in a few scenes.

The reason I think The Social Network has generated so much buzz is because Facebook is a part of the life of almost everyone under the age of 45 or so. A memorable line in the movie is when Zuckerberg’s ex-girlfriend complains to him that he acts as if the Internet is written in pencil, but it is really written in pen. I wonder if generations who have grown up with iPhones, Twitter, and IMDb will comprehend the significance of that.

My dad recently got a Facebook page. He said it was interesting seeing everyone’s page but he wondered what he does with it. I think he found it to be a waste of time, to tell you the truth. And it is, at times, I will admit. Now, let me go post a new Facebook status...