The Facebook - Movie Review Example

Topic: "The Social Network" Movie Analysis Introduction The social network, which is known to many as ‘The Facebook Movie’, is a movie that talks about the creation of one of internet’s most successful website. It is about becoming the youngest billionaire in the entire world. This is a movie about the unavoidable need for acceptance and recognition inside each one of us. The movie tries to make us understand and need the same equality and acceptance that Mark wants. The social network gives us the price of the need for acceptance when it changes into the blind ambition of social climbing. This movie rejects the tropes of money and power. It explores the moment of time at which facebook was invented, via the perspectives of clever youthful men who acclaim to be present at its inception. Plot In the fall of 2003, Mark Zuckerberg (Jess Eisenberg) tries to explain to her girlfriend (Rooney Mara), the significance of being a member of one of Harvard University’s 8 prestigious all-male social societies called ‘final clubs’. Mark describes these social societies as being exclusive. Mark Zuckerberg is not good at articulating himself in person. He first distances himself from his girlfriend, who feels that communicating with him is like working the Stairmaster while taking strong exemption to his haughty remarks towards her. This leads to his girlfriend dumping him. Mark’s first effort to create a website in film, a site where photos of female Harvard students are placed beside each other, and then users click on the girl who they think is the hottest. This site is wildly accepted and admired but results in every campus girl considering him as a sexist pig, and their boyfriends constantly threatening him. Together with his friend, Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), they both copy a proposed website for networking from Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, and Divya Narendra, which was made solely for Harvadites, and renaming it, The Facebook. This website which they come up with, connects students, express what drives life in college, who is single, and how to connect with girls in school. They are then approached by Napster-fame Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake), and following his advice, The is removed, thus giving rise to the now-innovative and revolutionary,’Facebook’. This website, Facebook can be accessed by any individual worldwide, and not just some elite campuses. His communication inability, urge to emerge number one, and competitiveness, will distance him. This results in two lawsuits, one from his best friend Eduardo, and the other from the Winklevoss twins. (Www.imdb.com). in this analysis, I will use Mark Zuckerberg, his girlfriend Rooney Mara, and his best friend Eduardo Saverin, to explore on the interpersonal variables. I will use the variables of, electrically mediated communication, and, ingratiating. Interpersonal Concepts and Variables By definition, interpersonal concept is when the needs or ideas of two individuals are opposing to each other. Electronically Mediated Communication refers to any form of communication that takes place through the use of two or more electronics, such as computers, and websites. This concept of communication applies to forms of text-based interaction such as text messaging, or those communications that take place through formats that are computer-mediated such as chat rooms, and websites. This term encompasses both ICTs (information communication technologies), and computer-mediated communication. Computer-mediated communication is the style of online communication and the message it conveys. ICTs, on the other hand, means machines themselves, mobile phones, PDAs and computers.( www.netlingo.com) Ingratiating, on the other hand, refers to what an individual would actively do in an attempt to make another individual or individuals to like him or her.(faculty.Babson.edu) Electrically Mediated Communication In the movie, this variable was widely used. We see that Mark Zuckerberg first creates a site, through which, the entire school would communicate on who the hottest girl in the campus was. Through this site, the students could choose between girls, and decide on who the hottest one was. The successful emergence of Facebook as a site also shows how the concept of Electrically Mediated Communication prevailed through out the movie. Through this website, every one in the entire world can share their thoughts, opinions or views. It provided a major base for communication that linked up billions of people through out the world. In the movie, communication channels and modes which have been established within Harvard University in the context of the Internet do develop rapidly a new set of linguistic conventions and usages, through the entire student fraternity can interact. Mark wanted to make it possible for students to communicate through a website, thus his urge to dig the entire college life and put it online for students to see. It made it possible for students to communicate online, see their friends’ profiles and pictures. This shows electrically mediated communication in the movie. There was also electrical mediated communication between Mark and the Winklevoss twins as stated by the lawyer to the twins. The lawyer said, “You sent my clients 15 emails, and you did not raise any concerns in those emails”. The lawyer says that Mark raised concerns about the website to the twins in the 16th mail that he sent them. This shows that Mark and the twins were communicating via email, which is an electronic mediated form of communication. Ingratiating Mark Zuckerberg is desperate to catch the attention of the Winklevoss twins (Armie Hammer). These Adonis’s are what Mark is looking for. Mark is desperate for their attention because they are future Olympic rowers, members of the Porcellian “final club”, and owners of inherited money. They are the good examples of the categories of individuals Mark wants attention from. He gets the attention he desired after creating some site called FaceMash.com, a small website that was so powerful it shut down Harvard’s servers. (www.cinemablend.com). Mark believes that he is very intelligent and shows no tolerance for those students whom he feels are below him. He is a typically unlikable student in the school, and this gives him the urge to create something which would make every student in the school accept him. We see Mark Zuckerberg using the tactic of Complimentary Other-Enhancement to gain the attention of Winklevoss twins. He focuses, and frequently exaggerates the positive side that he feels the twins have, and ignores their negativities. His main goal is to put across the idea that he thinks highly of the twins. The other tactic that Mark tries to use to gain attention from people, especially the twins is his belief that an individual should like another individual of equal values. Mark also allowed the twins to convince him of their opinion on mutating his first site into a better one. This way, Mark manages in his ingratiating quest for the twins’ attention. We also see the twins trying to win the attention of Mark after he comes up with his first site. They want to convince him to come together with them and upgrade his site into something better. Mark tells his girlfriend that he wants to do something substantial so as to win the attention of one of Harvard University’s 8 prestigious all-male social societies. The only way to do this, according to him, is to come up with a huge site that would thrill the members and the entire school. He wants the attention of the clubs because he believes that the clubs are exclusive, fan and that they lead to a better life in campus. Conclusion With out these two communication concepts, I strongly believe that the movie would not have been as good as it turned out to be. Through these concepts, the theme and plot of ‘The Social Networking’ movie came out clearly and well. All through the movie, these two interpersonal concepts have been used between casts. Since the movie is all about the internet, computers, websites and technology, electrical mediated communication are the major concept in it. Mark Zuckerberg, his best friend Eduardo Saverin, and the Winklevoss twins are the casts that portray this concept of communication adversely, either between themselves, or with other students. When it comes to Ingratiating, for some good part of the movie, Mark portrays this concept much. He does this by trying to win the attention and recognition of those he feels are in his class. This concept of ingratiating is adversely portrayed by Mark Zuckerberg himself. For effective communication, these two interpersonal concepts were effectively incorporated in the movie. References The Social Network (2010) - Plot Summary. (n.d.). IMDb - Movies, TV and Celebrities. Retrieved November 27, 2012, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1285016/plotsummary The Social Network Review - CinemaBlend.com. (n.d.). CinemaBlend.com: Entertainment news and opinions you can trust. Retrieved November 27, 2012, from http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/The-Social-Network-4832.html Electronically-mediated communication - NetLingo The Internet Dictionary: Online Dictionary of Computer and Internet Terms, Acronyms, Text Messaging, Smileys ;-). (n.d.). NetLingo The Internet Dictionary. Retrieved November 28, 2012, from http://www.netlingo.com/word/electronically-mediated-communication.php Jones: Ingratiation Tactics. (n.d.). Welcome to the Babson College Faculty Web Server. Retrieved November 28, 2012, from http://faculty.babson.edu/krollag/org_site/soc_psych/jones_ingrat.html Read More