The Social Network

Social Network Communicates Good, Bad, and Ugly
The Social Network, PG-13, ****1/2, Jesse Eisenbert, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Max Minghella. Columbia Pictures film. Director David Fincher. Length 120 minutes.

Social Networking has changed so many lives. In 2003 at Harvard University, a young sophomore changed communication in a phenomenal way. Young people enjoy staying in touch with their friends. It is a real time constant process in which to share information.
Now the information shared can be questionable as to why it should it be posted so others can read it or see what is going on in the private lives of friends or anyone for that matter.
This was demonstrated recently when students at Rutgers University posted a video on the Internet that may have contributed in the suicide of a student. Bullying through the Internet sources has become a problem in schools and among the network of individuals in cyberspace. The good, the bad, the ugly, and the tragic raise their ugly heads in this instant communication of today that seems to have no boundaries or conscious.
Another incident happened recently in a Massachusetts school when a young girl was the victim of Cyber-Bullying. She also committed suicide.
On Friday, October 1, 2010 in the Wall Street Journal, an article about a reading study in 2007 showed how older teens today are reading less. If parents or school systems want to help promote reading, here is a website the article recommends: www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists.
“The Social Network” is about how the seed for the idea of “Facebook” was planted, developed, and succeeded.
Zuckerberg, the owner of Facebook, announced a few days ago that he would donate $100 million to Newark, New Jersey schools. Zuckerberg’s personal fortune is $69 billion according to Forbes.
The above information is relevant to the film. “The Social Network” reminded me of college days. Of course, we did not have the Internet, but we did socialize and enjoy life. It is a time when young people are trying to find out just exactly what to do with the rest of their lives.
The young people today do not have to worry about being drafted as we did. They are concerned with the economy and finding their place in society. Communication helps individuals to sort all of these pressures out.
The film moves with lightning speed just as the Internet communication does. The audience does not have time to become bored. In fact, it is necessary to keep up with what is going on at all times.
From writing code to dealing with people, this film shows us just how “Facebook” began. The movie implies that ideas and secrets may have been stolen. The world of business wheeling and dealing is cutthroat, vicious, and many times unfair.
Zuckerberg is a real geek. He does not know how to communicate with people in a face to face environment, so he uses his skills on the Internet.
The film moves from the college campus to the wild and wooly world of business. Here the backstabbing and business documents divide friends and create more enemies. Greed is a factor in our world today, and it is shown in this excellent film about how “Facebook” began its journey to business success.
“The Social Network” captures fast talking geeks, charismatic personalities, and the way the world has changed as a result of technology. The Internet is a great educational tool with lots of great sites. It just has to be used for promoting first-class, high quality, and accurate educational information. We must strive to be sure that we all live by the Golden Rule – “Do unto others as you would have them to unto you.”
There are sensitive individuals in the world who need our help. It is our duty to strive in every way to help our neighbors and friends. With the instant communication around the world, our neighbors are just a “Facebook” Blog, E-Mail Tweet, Text or other form of communication away from us. We all need to be kind and helpful to everyone and use this powerful tool in a responsible way.