Virtual Connection or Real Affinity: A Reading of Fincher’s The Social Network

Posted on : Sat, April 20, 2024 - 10:38:59

Author : Meenakshi Daga

Category :

Tags :

By: Meenakshi Daga, PG (English) 4th Sem.

By tracing the evolution of social media over the years, we can identify the complexity it has gradually wrought over human relationships. The Social Network (2010) is an example of how personal anxieties are reflected upon society and its mechanisms. By reflecting upon David Fincher’s take on Meta’s (then Facebook) Mark Zuckerberg’s life, in this paper I would like to discuss how the movie deals with themes beyond its core subject of the founding of Facebook. Although superficially seen as a series of sequenced conversations, Fincher takes inspiration from real life events and presents a fascinating story of identity and friendship. The complex portrayal of Zuckerberg by Jesse Eisenberg in terms of his complicated social relationships and his manipulative, egotistical approach serves as an ironical foreshadowing of the menacing impact social media would have on normal human interactions in the following years.