Everybody including you and me are active users of social media, don’t deny it! It is impossible to imagine a life without social media apps like facebook today. How did Facebook and its founder Mark Zuckerberg happen? It was, for sure, no cakewalk.
Directed by David Fincher and penned by Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network beautifully portrays the life of Mark Zuckerberg. The movie is based on the book The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, a Tale of Sex, Money, Genius, and Betrayal by Ben Mezrich. David Fincher is known for films that portray serial killers and violence. The Social Network was safe in his hands.
Mark Zuckerberg’s life had all those juicy ingredients like campus life, cash and cases required for a movie. Facebook was born inside the students’ dormitory of Harvard. It began as a website where photos of girls and boys would publish for visitors to rate the hottest student. Students would be ranked according to the voting. The site became a hit within a week. As privacy issues popped up, college authorities closed down the site. In the next semester, ie in 2004, Zuckerberg started the coding of his new website. On February 4, 2004, Mark launched ‘Facebook’.
Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, seniors of Zuckerberg who were developing Harvard Connection, a dating app for Harvard students, alleged Zuckerberg of stealing their concept. This issue was settled later. By then, Facebook had begun its journey.
Facebook was launched as cyberspace for students to share their social experiences. In brief, a digital photo directory. That was the initial form of this social media platform that went on to conquer the world.
From Harvard, Facebook grew to other schools and colleges. In mid-2004, Zuckerberg moved to the Silicon Valley where he took a small office space. There he met Peter Thiel who later invested in the company. By 2007, although many media companies came forward to buy Facebook, Zuckerberg didn’t budge. Facebook became the king of social media in 2010 when Netscape CFO Peter Currie formed Facebook’s financing strategies. In the same year, Facebook entered the 500 Mn user market. What the world witnessed later was the emergence of a global icon.
Facebook’s history does not have stories of struggle. It shows a company that entered the billion-dollar club just through smart work. That story told unequivocally by David Fincher sheds light on the fact that the world needs entrepreneurs who face obstacles. The social network documents various emotions of an entrepreneur.
