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The Social Network: We’re All Part of the Machine |
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Written by JORDAN BRANDES
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Saturday, 09 October 2010 |
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I have just seen what I consider to be one of the most important films of our generation. “The Social Network”, while not a perfect film nor entirely historically accurate, has found a way to translate the organized chaos of a decade and turn it into a clear and precise look at a site that literally changed the world.
I remember when it was just starting up. Back then it was still fairly exclusive and you had to be a part of a college to get in; no valid e-mail, no entry. That was before the big boom of early 2005 when the floodgates opened and suddenly the whole world became connected. That was when everything changed. At first it was just a way to get into an exclusive site, a coveted idea in the college world. Then suddenly everyone had access and what was once cool for being unknown was everywhere.
This idea is covered in great length during the movie and with reason, in the end it all boils down to basics. We all want to be wanted, we want to be a part of something bigger. Facebook solves that dilemma in the most intriguing manner. On the one hand by sitting in front of my computer I can start a relationship with someone on the other side of the globe seamlessly. On the other hand at the end of the day I’m just some guy sitting in front of my computer not willing to go outside to make the actual human connection. The more we become connected the farther away we get from real interaction.
Let’s add one more twist to the story, Mark Zuckerberg, the main character in the Greek tragedy that is “The Social Network.” Zuckerberg, an undisputed genius, now has the unique opportunity of watching his life, as he’s currently living it, depicted on the big screen for all to see. The filmmaker’s decision to create the film now instead of fifteen years from now is interesting. These people are still living their lives, the story is still going and on very close to the same path shown in the film. At that point it doesn’t so much become a retrospective as a microscope into the present. Thanks to Zuckerberg’s contribution the world is a new place.
I found myself deep in thought at the end of the film, hence this diatribe. When Facebook started Zuckerberg and his colleagues were only a few years older than I am. To have accomplished so much in such a short time is almost baffling yet inspiring. In a little under a decade Facebook has found its way deep into our culture connecting all of us.
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