Pbenjay's Blog

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Already touted as the best movie of the year, I really enjoyed seeing this  film last week.  Best movie?  Well that may be a bit of a stretch… I think the most riveting aspect of The  Social Network is the portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg by Jessie Eisenberg.  He was quite amazing;  deadpan face, a voice devoid of emotion, totally lacking in any social graces and barely socialized as a member of the human race – I really wondered if the real Mark Zuckerberg is or was like this.  I mean this character is the geekiest of the geeks and the nerdiest of the nerds.

I think those of us who are extroverted and cognizant of society’s mores think those others like being that way;  that it’s a choice to be weird and withdrawn.  However,  we’re wrong – this movie is an insight into the pain of the outcast, the overlooked and the obvious misfit.

There are lots of ways to draw attention to yourself and most people do it  purposefully.   For example, it was difficult to determine if Mark’s choice of shorts and sandals in the winter were an affectation ( I think not) or was he just so…., SO unaware? Or I can’t even think of the word or words that describe someone who is not just walking to the beat of a different drummer, he is actually in another band all together.

I love Facebook;  it has enabled me to reconnect with old friends and neighbors; it has given me some interesting insights into my adult children’s world and I like playing Scrabble too. lol.  I think what I find fun and exciting in Facebook is pretty universal…so how did this great social network have its genesis in the twisted and distorted vision of a young alienated college kid?  I don’t know and he’s (Mark) not saying!  The movie leads us to believe that basically the first incarnation of what later became Facebook was a website rating the hotness of female students in Harvard and surrounding schools.

Mark’s uncanny ability to write program and his roommate’s ability to write checks ultimately produced the web site that has rocked the world!  And made Mark a billionaire and put some big bucks in a few other pockets too because this rise to financial stardom came with the price tag of  the  lost friendship of  the only friend he had, attorney’s fees, lawsuits and a bunch of hangers-on who drank and drugged with his money.  And while the booze flowed and the entourage grew larger and larger,  he seemed oblivious to the fact that he was losing both control and his partner.

But it was all about the pain; the longing to be with a girl who would accept him for he was; a nerd and  a geek and a very brilliant one at that.  The website wasn’t a way to meet girls  but rather a weapon; a means  to strike back at all the girls who over the years had  ignored him, humiliated him and rejected  him.

There was one particular characteristic that I found oddly refreshing in a shocking sort of way.  It was the way in which Mark spoke to people; seemingly unconscious that his words might hurt someone, or that his remarks might be inappropriate.  He opened his mouth and what came out was  exactly what was on his mind, he never minced words.  In some instances, it was his own self-aggrandizement and his complete confidence in his own point of view that kept him from tempering his words, often insulting people with his own knowledge.

Interesting insight into Napster creator, Shawn Fanning and the seduction of Mark Zuckerberg by this high-flying wheeler-dealer Californian.

The last word – Facebook is a raving social network success in spite of Mark Zuckerberg, the most un-socialized persona I’ve ever come across.