Can money or status buy happiness or love? Does money really attract females? Is it easy to lose a long-term best friend? What is worse, losing your best friend or losing the one you love? The film “The Social Network” produced by Columbia Pictures, directed by David Fincher, and written by Aaron Sorkin, came out and was one of the most popular movies in 2010. The film was about Harvard sophomore, Mark Zuckerberg, the one who creates the social networking site Facebook the early 2000’s and to be more accurate on February 4,2004.
Throughout the film you will see that there was a variety of events, experiences, relationships, character development, and a set of different emotions. Facebook quickly became famous. “the site was an instant hit… six years later, the site has become one of the biggest web sites in the world, visited by 400 million people a month.”(Carlson,10) “….called Facebook that changed the fabric of how people throughout the world now talk to each other without speaking actual words–not, if you ask me, for the improvement of mankind.” (Reed,10) The Social Network utilize many several visual and rhetorical strategies so as to persuade the viewers to wonder and think about so many things like the cost of being selfish, greedy and big risks taker in order to be successful, worthy, and to win big.
Also in the film “The Social Network” David Fincher argues that the film is not just about the invention of Facebook, but also about a guy using money and status to attract a girl. And it displays the theme of betrayal, greed and desire to be loved, and special. The film shows that sometimes not getting what you want can be a blessing in disguise.
The most important event of the whole film is the opening scene, because it shows the purpose of why Zuckerberg even invented Facebook originally. During the opening scene of the film Zuckerberg and his girlfriend Erica Albright are sitting at a table and she was breaking up with him at a bar near Harvard, thus setting up the viewers first impression of both her and Zuckerberg. Later on, the film portrays how guys will do anything to get the attention of the girls they like. In fact, it often seems as if they forget the whole idea of self-preservation and dignity when it comes to their romantic pursuits. Zuckerberg breaks up with Erica Albright leads him through a series of steps to create The Facebook.
In addition, another reason that leads Zuckerberg to create Facebook is that he always wanted to be in a Final Club, but was never invited to join. According to Nola website ‘ After all, Zuckerberg’s motivation in creating Facebook was to impress a girl and improve his own social status on campus. Not only do his poorly honed social skills send her running for the hills, but he also pushes the only real friend he’s got” (Scott.11). And according to Business Insider website, ‘And basically the framing is that the whole reason for making Facebook is because I wanted to get girls, or wanted to get into clubs.” (Zuckerberg.14)
Zuckerberg was thinking about Erica the whole time and she remained rooted in the back of his mind all along the film, but the fact that their relationship became really distance and cold can not be ignored. Back to the beginning scene of the film, with the blurred surrounding background while Zuckerberg and Erica are sitting alone together without anyone else. This scene portrays how Erica is avoiding all people when she is next to Mark, involve the other individuals in presence at the bar. And the scene when he came to talk to her while she was sitting with a group of her friends at the restaurant and their faces can be obviously recognized. From this two-contrast scene’s background the viewers can infer the difference in background’s scene and how obviously Erica pulled Zuckerberg away from her life and they became distance from each other.
After all of what happened, either between Erica and Zuckerberg or the things that Zuckerberg went through because of his creation of Facebook, and that he has got almost every single thing that anyone could think of from the perspective of fame and money, he still desires to be loved by Erica and got her attention. In the final scene of the movie, Mark was on his computer, not staring at a list of the Porcellian’s alumni, the most famous final club at Harvard, the club that he was dying to be part of. But instead of that searching for his former girlfriend, Erica in Facebook. In this context, Erica has a Facebook account and she is in touch with so many of her friend, and the computer screen is very clear. Despite the fact that their relationship is so broken, and it is impossible to rebuild it, yet Zuckerberg hopes to change that and is trying to connect to her by sending her a friend request, he is looking up to win the sliver of acceptance that comes with being Facebook friends.
Along the road, the viewers could notice how at the end, the film it still comes back to love and acceptance. The pain in Zuckerberg’s eyes is so clear. Zuckerberg portrays as the weakest and most broken man. Continuously refreshing the page every few seconds, breathlessly waiting for a response from her that never comes. This leads the viewers to see a huge aspect of Zuckerberg’s character, instead of celebrating and feeling the pride toward all his accomplishment and ignoring his emotion feelings, Zuckerberg is just thinking about Erica. He is so emotional and weak into the one he loves. Fincher wants us to see that you never stop loving someone you once loved. Once you love someone honestly, truly, you will never be able to un-love them.
Fincher employs some editing technique to help persuade the viewers to wonder about many things, one of these techniques is sound editing. In the final scene, there wasn’t any background music playing, you can just listen to the conversation between the two, Zuckerberg speaking to his lawyer on his case. This scene made the viewers feel pity and sorry for Zuckerberg because it presents an image of the separation and loneliness that Mark is surrounding by at that time. He chose something over something else and turned out alone and he even lost his best friend. He is hated by many. Fincher uses sound editing and other visual techniques to persuade the viewers to wonder if being famous and wealthy is worth it if you end up alone and unhappy at the end, or is it going to be a way to let you win your love back or to get someone you love back in your life by impressing them with that money?
Fincher employs some different moral elements to help persuade the viewers to wonder about many things. One of these elements is symbolism. According to Ashleyharbison website “In James Herrick’s Overview of Rhetoric, Herrick defines rhetoric as an examination of a huge system of various symbols, all with hidden or understood meanings. He thinks it’s important to suggest that rhetoric involves symbols and signs much of the time.” (Herrick 5). Symbols are utilized to convince viewers and rhetoric is the technique of this. all the character in the film symbolizes and matter something else for Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg’s best friend Eduardo represents Zuckerberg’s conscience. Eduardo was all the time trying to do the proper thing and advising Zuckerberg.
First of all, he was literally an epitome of an amazing friend and the way he cares about his friend Zuckerberg can be so obvious especially when we first saw him, when he came to check in Zuckerberg after his break up with his girlfriend Erica and to make sure if he is doing okay. Eduardo as well tries to persuade Zuckerberg that Facemash was a terrible and not right idea. He feels disagreeable with the idea of sharing girl’s pictures online without getting their permission. And all of that for men entertain. He knew that it going to cause a big issue to Zuckerberg and get him in big trouble. Eduardo was an honest friend and was always trying to show himself and Zuckerberg the straight right path for both of them, but eventually, it ended him up to be kicked out of the group by Zuckerberg and Sean.
Eduardo is betrayed by Zuckerberg not only as a friend, but as a business partner be in quest of an honest profit. Fincher shows the viewers how that there is always another train coming, but there is not always another friend to enjoy the ride with. Although it is hard splitting with a girl, it is so much harder to lose your best friend. Someone who you have spent years together, is very hard to replace.
