New addition to the history books?
Last weekend I buckled. I had told myself I would stay far away and mock it. Decided I would sit and watch all the various parodies on YouTube and other viral video websites. Read reviews on Rolling Stone, New York Times, and roll my eyes. But like I said, I buckled. I went and saw The Social Network.
For the doubters
Now it would seem like a no-brainer. I check my Facebook about every hour, work in a social media driven office, and was in charge of social media campaigns all summer for my city. Why would I be so against a movie that is essentially about the formation of the business that practically drives my life? Honestly, I thought it would be comical and completely arrogant. An entire movie was being devoted to the story of a website. What next, a studio movie loosely based on the mastermind behind Starbucks accompanied by a hipster soundtrack? The whole thing seemed absurd and the trailer wasn’t really helping its case.
But after all of this doubting, mockery, and eye rolling my brother and I bought two student tickets, waited in line, and sat through the 120 minute film, to walk out and agree that we might have just seen one of the best films of the year.
Game changer
Some decades had the light bulb, electricity, the automobile, and the printing press; we have Facebook. It has single-handedly changed not only the social lives of individuals but has now spread to businesses looking for more visibility. New job titles have been created, whole businesses can be run through Facebook, and it reaches countries that don’t know what a paved road feels like. It’s impossible to ignore the fact that one website has had an incredible and lasting impact on our culture, so why not watch a smart and witty movie that tells not only Facebook’s story but part of our story.
