Tuesday, 05 October 2010

• 3 Ways The Social Network Does Indeed "Define A Decade"

  **Note: There are some minor spoilers in this entry, but this is not the kind of movie where knowing how the plot develops or turns out makes a difference. In order to get the true impact of my statements on the film, you must see it.

  The review in the movie's TV spot proclaims the new Facebook biopic The Social Network is "the film of the year that also brilliantly defines the decade."
  

  I saw the movie this weekend, as I'm sure many of you did as it was number one at the box office. Of course, being my cynical self, when people begin to treat movies like this I am immediately skeptical. I'm so sure one movie can reflect the perspective of an entire decade of people... and especially a movie about a few smart kids from Harvard. Harvard computer geniuses have about as much in common with me as my 17 year old sister (who thinks she can sing) has in common with Christina Aguilera.

  But boy was I off base.

  Here are 3 ways that David Fincher's soon-to-be-considered-a-classic film The Social Network defines the past decade, especially for Datingish readers:

  1. The Key: Relationship Status.
  

   

  The main character of Mark Zuckerberg, played brilliantly by Zombieland's Jesse Eisenberg, has what you could call a "lightbulb" moment in the film when a classmate of his asks him if another one of their classmates is single. It strikes Mark then that we define ourselves, and other people certainly define us, by our relationship status. Instead of taking the time to find out, we can now just check social networking sites or read each other's blogs to find out about each other, transforming us from real, breathing people into profiles of ourselves.

  2. We love to mimic real life to avoid real life.

  Mark writes in his blog and creates in the Facebook things he wouldn't have the courage to say and do in real life, a theme that drives the movie. Sound familiar, Xangans? Ever take to Facebook or your blog to unload about an ex or current SO? His ultimate goal for Facebook was never to make money, but to "take the entire social experience of college and put it online." Mark may come across on the surface as an arrogant and condescending person in this film, but at the core of his character, he just wants to belong in the only way he knows how: creating a world for himself where he is, as it says on his business card, "CEO, Bitch."

  3. Millions of Friends, But Not Very Popular: The Geek Shall Inherit the Earth.

  In the New York Times review of the film, reviewer Manhola Dargis explains, "Mr. Fincher (director) and Mr. Sorkin (screenwriter) offer up a creation story for the digital age and something of a morality tale, one driven by desire, marked by triumph, tainted by betrayal and inspired by the new gospel: the geek shall inherit the earth."

  I wrote a massively unpopular, albeit tongue-in-cheek, article on my first trist into Datingish a month or so back called, 10 Reasons to Date a Nerd. I was overwhelmed with the negative responses to what I thought was clearly a joke post, but seeing The Social Network was a revelation in this respect. I realized it: the nerds are the most successful individuals in our culture.

  We envy them. We don't want to be considered a nerd the way we used to call people nerds, because the nerds have taken over. They are the success stories, and in this film, the sex symbols. Being a nerd is cool. So, sorry nerds. You may have had me there.
  

  Peter Travers of Rolling Stone ended his rave review of the film with this poignant statement:"The final image of solitary Mark at his computer has to resonate for a generation of users (the drug term seems apt) sitting in front of a glowing screen pretending not to be alone."

  Hundreds of friends, thousands of readers. But are we actually alone on the internet? Who among them are our true friends? This movie makes you stop and think. 

  Did you guys see the movie this weekend? Do you agree? Is this film just another indication that we are slipping from our real personal relationships and further into ourselves?

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