I recently saw the movie “The Social Network” and our class discussion/lecture made me think a lot about the movie in terms of the influence of Facebook, as well as, the portrayal of how Facebook developed, the conflicts that arose in relationship to its development, and in particularly, about Mark Zuckerberg, himself.
We talked briefly in class about the conclusions that people made about Mark Zuckerberg based on the character portrayal in the movie and what people thought about him as a person after viewing the film. To me, the film portrayed Mark Zuckerberg in a way that left interpretation of his character up to the viewer. I can see and understand why people would view him as a jerk and why others view him as more of icon.
Personally, basing my opinion on the character of the movie, I see Mark Zuckerberg as a jerk. He obviously took the idea of social networking to a new level, gave it the high regard that Facebook maintains, and put in the hard work and hours that were necessary to program Facebook and make it such a desirable and successful website. However, the way he went about doing so, and his behavior make him seem like such a jerk, and I don’t see the reasoning or excuses behind it.
While I wouldn’t give the idea of Facebook to the Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, who were involved in a legal action against Zuckerberg for stealing their idea, I would say that the way he handled the actions of the twins wasn’t acceptable. The film made it seem as though Zuckerberg, immediately after meeting with the brothers, decided to do his own version of their ideas and program the website himself. Instead of communicating and acting as if he was working with them, it would have been more appropriate to simply let them know that he was not working with them, regardless of his own intentions for a social network. Of course, he may have had his own plans to similarly support their idea, while working on his own, but the fact that his own idea and actions were so congruent with the twins, it made his dealings seem like he was trying to get away with something or lead them on.
The way he handled his best friend, Eduardo, to me seemed, similarly, so awful. Eduardo wasn’t necessarily an ideal business partner, did cause conflict that could have brought Facebook down, and additionally wasn’t seemingly very committed to or supportive of Facebook. But the bottom line is that he helped start Facebook and was involved in its beginnings. And, regardless of how Eduardo acted and worked with Facebook, the fact that Mark Zuckerberg didn’t inform his best friend of what he was doing and how it would affect him makes the way Zuckerberg behaved seem so awful.
The way Zuckerberg behaved in the actual legal hearings was disrespectful and ridiculous, and especially led me to conclude that he is a jerk. I feel as though most people, regardless of how they feel about the hearing or the people involved, would act and behave in a manner that was respectful and appropriate for the situation. The inattentiveness, rude comments, and general approach that Mark Zuckerberg had, was not in any way acceptable and reflects poorly on his character.
Obviously this was a film that portrayed the story of Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg in a light that dramatized the events that took place, and doesn’t necessarily tell the exact and true account of what happened or Zuckerberg’s true character. My opinions are simply based upon the content of the film. Similarly, while it is easy to judge Zuckerberg and look back at his behavior to judge that he is a jerk, it isn’t necessarily fair, because the situations that Zuckerberg was in and the problems he faced were complicated and certainly influenced his behavior.
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