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CassieCox
Phillips
CulturalMediaLiteracy
22May2016
TheSocialNetwork:InspiringaWorldofIsolation
Idontknowasinglepersonthatdoesnthavesomekindofsocialmedia,whetherits
Twitter,Facebook,Tumblr,orInstagram,accessibletothematalltimesthroughtheirsmartphones.But
whenFacebookwasinvented,noonehadsmartphonesnotuntiloverthreeyearslaterwouldApple
releaseitsfirstmodeloftheiPhone.Threeyearsafterthat,DavidFinchersfilm,TheSocialNetwork,
hitthetheatres,providinganaudiencealreadyaffectedbythenewtechnologyanddigitalworldwitha
storyshowinghowintheearly2000s,humanityexperiencedashiftfromauthentic,facetoface
interactiontoliveslivedonlinewheremisconceptionsareabundant,storiesandrumorsspreadquickly,
andwebegantofeelasawholenotbetterconnectedtooneanother,butincreasinglyisolated.David
FinchersTheSocialNetworkportrayssocietysdevelopmenttowardsamoreisolatedcommunityasa
resultofthecreationofsocialmediasitessuchasFacebook,throughFincherscompositionofsecluded
framingandblockingofactorspairedwithAaronSorkinsscreenplayrepletewithdialogueandTrent
ReznorandAtticusRossscore.
Themoviebeginsinabar,whereMarkZuckerberg,portrayedbyJesseEisenberg,hasjust
pissedoffhisgirlfriend,whodumpshimcallinghimasasshole.Theopeningcreditsrevolvearoundlong
shotsofMarkwalkingalonefromthebaracrossHarvardtohisdorm.Theselongshotsmake
Zuckerberglooksmall,reiteratinghisalonenessafterbeingdumpedwithanondiegeticsolitarypiano
playingasoftmelodyanddarkyellowlighting,playingthismoviemorelikeathrillerthanamovieabout

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programming.ImmediatelycontrastedtothisopeningsceneisZuckerbergbeginninghiscreationof
FaceMash,asitethatallowedstudenttocomparegirlsoncampuswithothersandrankthemagainst
eachotherbasedonwhoishotter.ShotsofMarkhackingintothefacebooksofHarvardsdormhalls
toaccessgirlsphotosarejuxtaposedwithshotsofthepeakofallcollegesocialinteractions,partying.
Therealsobeginsashiftinthescoretheoncesolitarypianobecomesanorchestraoftechnoelectronic
energeticmusicheardastheshotsparalleltheselivelypartiestoMarksprogramming.Atthebeginning
ofthescenetheseareonlyparallelshots,Markathomeinhisdorm,andwhatseemsliketherestofthe
schooloutpartying.ButonceFaceMashgoesonline,itimmediatelygoesviral,infiltratingtherealsocial
engagementsatthesepartiesandgettogethers.Thusbeginssocialmediasraidintothesocialaspectsof
thelivesofmillions.Facebookiscreated,withinmonths,becomingahitacrosscampusandeventually
thecountry.
Throughoutthefilm,shotsarelitwithdark,low,oftenyellowlighting,commonlyseeninmostof
DavidFincherspsychologicalthrillermovies.Fincherschoicetocinematographicallymakethisfilm
looksimilartohisthrillerstylemovieswiththesedimlightingtechniquesurgestheaudiencetoseethis
newsocialmediaaslessofanaidtosociety,andmoreofamonsterdestroyingthewayweinteractas
humans,likeFacebookdidtoMarksrelationshipwithEduardoSaverin,playedbyAndrewGarfield,
andcausingustobecomeparanoidandisolatedasweseeinJustinTimberlakescharacter,Sean
Parker.Thispsychologicalthrilleraspectportrayedwiththegrosscoloredlightenmakesthisfilmmore
thanjustastoryaboutaprogrammerandhissuccessesandeventuallawsuitsoverFacebook.Thestory
becomesabouthumanityandhowwehaveletsocialmediamakeusmorelikeMark,theisolated
asshole,andmorelikeParker,theparanoidwannabe.

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Inherbook,MindChange,SusanGreenfieldanalyzesthedifferencesinhumanrelationships
duetotheinfluenceofsocialmedia.Shefoundandreportedthatwehavebecomeasocietythatno
longerrevealstheirtrueidentityonlineinseekoftotalapprovalandthereforetherelationshipsweform
ontheinternetareakindofpseudorelationship.Onlinethereisnowaytointerpretapersonstrue
reactiontosituationsorconversations.Youcannotseeapersonsfacialexpressionsoreyesorhear
theirrealvoicewhenyouarecommunicatingonline.Thepeoplebecomemorefabricationsofouronline
imaginationsratherthanrealpeople.Thislackofrealinteractioncauseshumanstoexperiencean
unexplainablesenseofisolationandparanoiaprovokedbysocialmedia.Finchercharacterizesthis
paranoiaandisolationinParkerandZuckerberg,respectively.DuringoneofthefinalscenesSeanis
arrestedforillegaldrugsatapartywithunderageminorsandcalledMark,whodidnotattendtheparty,
fromthepolicestation.FincherframesMark,aloneintheFacebookheadquarters,andSeanparallelly
onoppositesidesoftheframetogivetheillusionthattheyareengaginginfacetofaceconversation
eventhoughtheyareonlyspeakingtooneanotheronthephone.WhenMarkturnshischair,almost
awayfromSean,isolatinghimself,SeancrossestotheothersidetheframeasifheisfollowingMark.
AaronSorkinusesthisopportunityinthescreenplaytoreallyexpressSeansparanoia,tryingtofind
excusesandblamehispastenemiesandevenEduardoforhiswrongdoings.Theaudiencecanvisually
seetheconversationbetweenMarkandSean,isolationandparanoia.WeseeMarkcraveafriendship
inSeanthatwasneverreal,andSeancraveasolidplacetostandinlifewithouttakingresponsibilityfor
hisactions.Online,wecraverelationshipswithpeoplewecanneveractuallyknowbecausetheperson
theyshowundertheirnameontheirprofileisthepersontheywanttoshowtheworld,notwhothey
reallyare.Wecantfindasolidplacetostandonlinebecauseweourselvesareputtingupadifferentself

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ontheinternet,aselfwewanteveryonetoseeandlove,causingustobecomeobsessedwithoursocial
mediaselves.
HectorL.CarralsuggestsinhisHuffingtonPostarticlethatnewtechnologyandsocialmedia
sitessuchasFacebookarenotdetrimentaltooursocialexistence,butinsteadareinstrumentsof
communicationandthroughsocialmedia,providesconnectionsotherwisepreviouslyimpossiblebefore
Facebookandsmartphones.Thisconnection,however,isafalseperceptionofinteraction.Lookingat
picturesandcommentsthroughascreencanneverliveuptorealworld,facetofaceinteractions.
Throughtext,onecannotseethefacialexpressionsandbehavioralreactionsduringaconversation
thingsareeasilymisinterpretedandleadtofurtherseclusion.Fincherusesthisphenomenonthatis
continuingthroughoursocietyeven6yearsafterthereleaseofhismovietoinfluenceandconstructthe
themeandmoodofhisfilm,TheSocialNetwork.
ThoughTheSocialNetworkillustratesthisnewlevelconnectivityCarraldescribes,Fincher
focusesalargeportionofhisfilmonthedestructionofrelationshipsandfriendshipsduetothecreation
ofFacebook.TheparalleleditingjuxtaposingtheinitialstartupmonthsofFacebookandthelawsuits
MarkZuckerberg'sownfriendandcolleaguesfiledagainsthimshowsaudiencestwoworlds:lifebefore
Facebook,andlifeafter.Thelifebeforeisfilledwithcloseconnectionsbetweenfriends,mainlyfocused
aroundMarkandEduardo,inthesmallworldofHarvard.Lifeafteris,howevermoreglamourous,filled
withpartyinganddrugsandmoneyforMark,alsomoredestructivehavinglosthisclosestfriendwho
wasnowsuinghim.
Wecontinuetoseethesocialdisordersandproblemsthathavearisendrasticallyduetothe
integrationofsocialmediaintoourdailylives.AsSherryTurklesaysinherbook,AloneTogether,"We
haveinventedinspiringandenhancingtechnologies,yetwehaveallowedthemtodiminishus."David

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Finchersconstructuctionoftheframesandblockingoftheactorswithintheframe,joinedwithAaron
SorkinsdescriptiveandlengthydialogueandTrentReznorandAtticusRossprominentscore
illustratesparadoxicaldestructivequalitiesoftheonlineworldthatMarkZuckerbergandFacebook
helpedcodeintoourlivestoconnectusdigitally,andtodisconnectussensibly.

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WorksCited
Carral,HctorL."StopSayingTechnologyIsCausingSocialIsolation."TheHuffingtonPost.
TheHuffingtonPost.com,2Nov.2015.Web.19May2016.
Dargis,Manohla."MillionsofFriends,butNotVeryPopular."TheNewYorkTimes.TheNew
YorkTimes,23Sept.2010.Web.16May2016.
Greenfield,Susan.MindChange:HowDigitalTechnologiesAreLeavingTheirMarkon
OurBrains.NewYork:RandomHouse,2015.Print.
Huff,EthanA."SocialNetworkingLeadstoIsolation,NotMoreConnections,Say
Academics."NaturalNews.NaturalNews,27Jan.2011.Web.16May2016.
Reyes,Luis."SocialMediaCausesIsolation,Alienation."CardinalPointsOnline.Plattsburgh
StatesIndependentStudentNewspaper,27Feb.2015.Web.19May2016.