Social Network.final.revised

8/10/2019 Social Network.final.revised

1/7

Hennessy 1

Ryan Hennessy

Dr. Erin-Dietel McLaughlin

WR 13300

10 October 2014

Facebook Frenzy

Released in 2010, The Social Networkwas an immediate success, as it was nominated for

eight Oscars and won three of them. It was also nominated for six Golden Globes and won four

of them. Director David Fincher and writer Aaron Sorkin take the viewers on the journey of

Mark Zuckerberg, portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg. The movie began with Zuckerberg showing off

his genius by crashing the Harvard network by creating a site called FaceMash, after his

girlfriend broke up with him. It then went on to exhibit Zuckerbergs encounters with the

Winklevoss twins and the creation of his idea for The Facebook. In between all of this, the movie

flashes to the present lawsuits that Mark was involved in with the Winklevi and his ex-best

friend, Eduardo Saverin. The movie takes us through Marks encounters with Sean Parker (Justin

Timberlake), the man who created Napster. Zuckerbergs relationship with Parker is what leads

into finally ending his relationship with Eduardo Saverin, forcing Saverin to sue Zuckerberg. In

the end, basically everyone comes out extremely wealthy, money wise; however, relationships

were broken, feuds were formed, and social media would never be the same. David

Fincherforces the audience to ask many thought-provoking questions about wealth,

relationships, and how those relate to true happiness.

The Social Networkperfectly portrays why wealth is not directly equal to happiness. In

fact, it also exhibits some situations that wealth is not related to happiness at all. The case of

Eduardo Saverin is a great example of this, as he is a businessman who inherently cares about


2/7

Hennessy 2

money and wealth. However, unlike some, Saverin proved to the viewer that he only cared about

making money the correct way. He was not interested in the way people like Sean Parker wanted

to make money through using people. He did not believe Zuckerberg and Parker handled

Facebook ethically, and he eventually felt completely left out of the process, especially because

they were using his money to continue funding the company. Either way, Saverin still became

very wealthy through the making of Facebook, but that has no correlation to how happy he is

because, by the end of the movie, he is completely distraught about the breaking of his friendship

with Zuckerberg and the poor handling of Facebook, a company he co-founded. Along with

Saverin, but on a different spectrum, Sean Parker is another character the film uses to show of

how wealth and happiness have no direct correlation. One may think that Sean Parker is actually

a very happy man because of the vibe he gives off, but, as the movie progresses, it becomes clear

that he is actually very unhappy. Wealth actually did a tremendous amount of harm to Parker. It

opened him up to very unhealthy situations and substances. For example, in one of the last

scenes of the movie, Parker is pictured in a dimly lit room at a house party with girls a number of

years younger than he with copious amounts of cocaine. Parker is a very wealthy man, but that

obviously does not make him a very happy, healthy man. Lastly, Mark Zuckerberg shows no

care for wealth at all through the whole process of making Facebook; however, after the final

scene of the movie, in somewhat of a footnote before the credits, we learn that he became the

youngest billionaire in history, proving the point even more that just because someone is

wealthy, it does not necessarily mean that they are happy.

If someone is wealthy, it also does not mean that they are automatically unhappy;

however, good, healthy relationships are a key component to happiness. Once again, Zuckerberg,

the youngest billionaire in history, proves this statement perfectly, and the last scene of the


3/7

Hennessy 3

movie is the best example of this. In the last scene, the viewer sees Mark sitting in front of a

computer with a blank, depressed stare on his face, and when the camera turns, it is revealed that

he was staring at Erika Albrights Facebook profile. Albright was Zuckerbergs ex-girlfriend,

and at the beginning of the movie, they broke up because of Marks condescending,

awkwardness with her. When the viewer sees Zuckerberg press the Request button, it is clear

that her breaking up with him was a very traumatic experience for him. The audience can see his

eyes that he realizes that he messed up with her, Saverin, and anyone else in his tumultuous path

to the top. By the end of the movie, Zuckerberg has no relationships, which does not only add to

his unhappiness, but it is also extremely unhealthy to not have at least one friend to converse

with. This final scene really affects the audience by connecting with the pathos, proofs of

emotion; appeals to the values of the audience, as the audience actually feels emotionally

connected to Zuckerberg for the first time throughout the movie (UWP). The movie portrays a

downtrodden Zuckerberg, finally realizing that he truly is alone. Historically, movie audiences

love rooting for the underdog, which may be why the viewer finally begins to feel for

Zuckerberg, as this is also the first time we see a break from the usual stone-faced, emotionless

person that he is.

Like Zuckerberg, Saverin became very wealthy through the Facebook-creation process,

but that also did not make him a happy man. Throughout the movie, the scenes switch back and

forth between the lawsuits and the creation and development process of Facebook. Every time

the scene switches back to the lawsuit, the audience sees Saverins emotional unsteadiness. He

did not seem to be as upset about the money loss as he was about being disrespected and used by

Zuckerberg and losing him as a best friend. Finally, once again, Sean Parker is the epitome of

unhappiness in The Social Network. Parker has no friends, and he only ever develops


4/7

Hennessy 4

relationships with people he can use for his own benefit. Throughout the movie, there are two

major instances that reflect Parkers lack of relationships with others. Saverin hated Parker the

first time he met him. He hated the fact that he could not stop talking about himself and that he

drew Zuckerbergs attention away from him. However, maybe the greatest example is when

Zuckerberg, the one who was closest to Parker throughout the movie, did not even care that he

was in jail. To add on to that, there was even the thought that Mark called the police on him!

Parker proves to be the most depressed out of anyone in the movie, shown through his drug

problem and womanizing ways. All three of these men are extremely wealthy; however, none of

them are happy at all. One of the largest reasons for that is because of their lack of good, healthy

relationships with others.

Plot can tell the audience a lot about the characters and their emotional state, but

appearance also tells a great deal about the emotional, mental, and physical state of the character.

The author of An Overview of Rhetoric, Herrick, even suggests that the visual can add a great

deal. He says, The aesthetics of rhetoric are elements adding form, beauty, and force to

symbolic expression (Herrick 14). With the following visuals from the movie, the audience can

understand the characters in a much deeper sense. Without certain visuals, the audience does not

get the full picture of the personalities and the motives of the characters. Zuckerberg, for

example, dresses like a complete slob. He does not care how he presents himself at all, even in

serious situations, such as the lawsuits. He is pictured wearing a hoodie, shorts, and even open-

toed sandals. This shows the audience that he has no care for looking wealthy or presentable, and

he especially does not care at all what people think of him. It is very fitting that an unhappy man

dresses like one. On another hand, Eduardo Saverin dresses the part of a wealthy businessman on

Wall Street, portraying a very ambitious young man who cares about how he presents himself


5/7

Hennessy 5

and what others think of him. For example, when he is attending the Millionth Member Party

in California he comes dressed in a suit and tie. When asked why, he responded with I didnt

know whether to dress for the party or for the business meeting, so I kind of dressed for both.

His whole ambiance and dress shows that he is serious about his work and cares about earning

money and respect from his peers and his father. He dresses like a man who is trying extremely

hard to do well with his life, but clearly there have been obstacles, such as Mark Zuckerberg and

Sean Parker, that he needs to get over. Once again, lastly, Sean Parker dresses like the

stereotypical celebrity, which is fitting, because thats exactly what he thinks he isa celebrity.

He wears jeans and button down shirts in just a very laid back look. He dresses perfectly to

portray his character because he acts like a celebrity. He thinks hes all that and, like many

celebrities who think they are all that, he has many internal problems with drugs and

promiscuity. He is insecure with himself, and that is the biggest reason for his unhappiness.

At the end of the movie, David Fincher reveals to the audience the outcome of the

settlements. Zuckerberg became the youngest billionaire in the world, even with having to

release a large chunk of money to Saverin and the Winklevoss twins. However, the greatest

success for Zuckerberg was that he created a massive social networking site and created a name

for himself, his goals from the beginning. Next, Saverin received a unknown settlement through

the lawsuit, but he was able to get his name placed back on the masthead, restoring his co-

founding credit. Finally, Sean Parker was allowed to retain a 7% ownership of Facebook, which,

in the grand scheme of things, still reels in a great amount of money for him. After learning this,

one may ask the question So, if they all got what they wanted, then why wouldnt they be happy

at the end? To answer that question, the characters emotional side must be taken into account.

Zuckerberg has no relationships by the end of the movie, a key component of happiness. Saverin,


6/7

Hennessy 6

although on the surface it seemed like his dignity was restored, still felt extremely disrespected

by his ex-best friend. Lastly, the fact that Parker has even more money does not take away the

fact that he still has these great internal problems, like drugs and womanizing. Therefore, yes, the

characters received mostly what they wanted through the settlements, but their emotional sides

took over by the end of the film, and they are still distraught with relationship, emotional, and

personal problems.

The Social Networkis not only a fantastic movie, but it also teaches many valuable

lessons about life, dealing with money, and interactions with others. It teaches that interactions

with people and healthy, two-way relationships are a necessity in life. Without them, it will feel

as though there is a huge, gaping hole that must be filled. That is exactly what Mark Zuckerberg

experienced, and he finally realized it at the end. The movie also uses the example of Sean

Parker as what not to do with large sums of money. It portrays the many risks that come along

with wealth, such as drugs and shallow lifestyles. Overall, David Fincher did a wonderful job

exhibiting these moral lessons throughout The Social Network.


7/7

Hennessy 7

Works Cited

Herrick, James A. "An Overview of Rhetoric." The History and Theory of Rhetoric. 2nd ed.

Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2001. 1-30. Print.

The Social Network. Dir. David Fincher. Perf. Jesse Eisenberg. Sony, 2010. DVD.

University Writing Program. "What We Teach."// University Writing Program // University of

Notre Dame. University of Notre Dame, 2014. Web. 10 Oct. 2014.

Documents

Social Network.final.revised