“The Social Network” generates controversy, praise

The movie "The Social Network" tells the story of Facebook‘s creation and the drama that followed. Though not necessarily an accurate representation of the truth, the movie comments on how the Internet brings people together and, ironically, tears them apart.

The movie begins with a date between the Harvard student and future Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his girlfriend Erica, a Boston University student. Over the course of the date, Zuckerberg seems stiff and unemotional; he points out statistics, analyzes what she says and, unbeknownst to him, acts like a jerk. Erica breaks up with him, and so in a drunken stupor, he creates a website to rate girls at Harvard. The website soon brings him to the attention of Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss and Divya Nirendra, who want him to write codes for the web site they are creating, HarvardConnection, a forum for Harvard students. Zuckerberg avoids the Winklevosses and Nirendra and instead develops his own social networking site with financial backing from his friend Eduardo Saverin, who also serves as CFO of the budding company. Problems arise when the Winklevosses and Nirendra threaten legal action and Zuckerberg lets Napster co-founder Sean Parker handle business matters.

Jesse Eisenberg, who plays Zuckerberg, plays the part as a helplessly, brutally honest tech genius. Justin Timberlake, who plays Parker, plays the same role as he does in his music videos, a womanizer.

The controversy surrounding this movie began when Facebook and Ben Mizrich, the author of "The Accidental Billionaires," the book that the movie is based on, complained that the movie simplified the reasons why Zuckerberg created Facebook, exaggerated the conflict between Saverin and Zuckerberg and portrayed Zuckerberg as socially inept.

The movie is too simplistic—it asserts that Zuckerberg created Facebook to impress the Final Clubs (elite fraternity-like organizations at Harvard), so that they would ask him to join, and Erica, so she'd take him back. It exaggerates the behavior at Final Club parties to make them seem like strip clubs and portrays Sean Parker as a paranoid and partying bum.

However, the movie gives an interesting glimpse into the mind of an inventor who doesn't realize the impact of his creation. It comments on the excesses of the internet age and the inventors behind it. The movie also highlights the greed that Facebook created; the three parties in the suit fight for percentage ownership of the company.

The Internet and Facebook simultaneously bring people together and separate them; people can communicate with others easily, but in a disconnected, impersonal way. This idea is established throughout the movie as we watch a socially awkward student create something that brings students from other schools and countries together. The movie seeks to compare the open environment created by the internet age with the closed environment Zuckerberg lived in while creating Facebook. It suggests that the sacrifice we must make for being in contact with the world is a sacrifice of technology. The movie ultimately resolves this conflict, when Zuckerberg seeks to reach out socially.

"The Social Network" is currently in theaters.