A few weeks ago we discussed the movie “Social Network”, which involved Mark Zuckerberg, the developer of Facebook, and the drama of leaving the "real", moving on to the "reality"; the issues of jealousy, misfit, love and revenge, etc.
What did M.Z. really want? Could it be recognition? Or acceptance, to blend into the elite of the bourgeoisies? Lacking in social capital and Jewish background place M.Z. as an outsider in the Harvard community. He quotes from the movie in rebuttal to the lawsuit he was served with, “They are not suing me for the invasion of their intellectual property, but because for the first time in their lives things didn't work out the way they want to for them”. This implies that M.Z. actually feels that his fellow classmates from Harvard are privileged and somewhat spoiled, as they get what they want simply because their families are wealthy.
After the rejection and insult from his girlfriend, Mark Zuckerberg stepped onto the road to developing the now worldwide network - Facebook.
He compared his ex-girlfriend to farm animals, started a site for people to rate women based on their hotness. As his ex-girlfriend was hurt from the comments he posed online, M.Z. continued to expand the network after learning that internet is written in “ink” and not pencil marks, and that people vote not because they see hot girls but because they see girls who they know. From there, he expands the network to involving the Yale and Columbia network, while changing it into a virtual network connecting different people with updates of their social lives and status.
Surprisingly, the movie was not about the “history of the paramount discovery in our networking era - Facebook”. Instead, it was a classic drama involving jealousy, love, among other emotions and old issues of human existence.
M.Z. needs something from others, could it be admiration, recognition, acceptance, or respect? What are his desires and goals?
As we learned about Zizek and the Real, “desire” is in the direction of the “real”, thus opposite from “reality”. “Social Network” also represents the idea of coping with the loss of “real” and developing the “self”. The intensive emotions expressed in the movie reflect the “reality”, as the love he claims to have for his girlfriend appears to be unreal and ideal.
Instead, Z.M. has a strong desire to be recognized, but for what? Could it be to validate himself? His desire, passion and obsession for becoming a member of the “Final Club” implies that he wants recognition, perhaps in the aspect of popularity, of his intelligence, as well as acceptance into the community of the social elites.
The possible tragedy within the movie is that the one who made worldwide networking possible cannot have non-technological, genuine interaction or relationship with others. Thus, it shows that M.Z. lacks in social capital.
Mark Zuckerberg’s ambition of his site expansion and his eager for success and recognition also reveal a sense of revenge. M.Z. resents his position in the social hierarchy and intends to rehabilitate his image. However, did his desire go out of limit? As far as we know, Facebook did emerge and eventually become a part of our lives.
For example, the weekend before I found out that “Social Network” was going to be the topic of our upcoming lecture’s discussion topic, my boyfriend and I went to the theater. I had no intention of watching “The Social Network”, though he planned to persuade me in any possible way to choose that movie. As a result, we watched the movie.
I had no intention to watch that movie, I had no interest in the movie while watching it. However, my boyfriend was intrigued by the content and the message he sought from it. He ended up with the idea of launching a site that expands on the nature of Facebook. I must admit that I hate the idea; however, it is a brilliant and doable one that he prohibited me to list all the details. He began with, “ wouldn’t you want to connect with those who you know and who you would like to know after a casual encounter?”
Further, another impact Facebook has on our daily lives is that it allows us to be a part of our friends’ lives while not physically be there. For example, how many times have we forgotten about someone’s birthday but we always manage to cover that fact because Facebook has birthday reminders which let us post “HBD” on our friends’ walls? How many times have we posted “aw I’m sorry hun...” when Facebook shows a friend’s relationship status change from “in a relationship” to “single”?
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