OK, I saw the "Social Network" movie last night!
I must say that it was more interesting than I anticipated.
Of course, I approached the movie from a very different perspective from the vast majority in the audience. You see, I was an employee of a company that was a forerunner to Facebook, launched 4 years prior to the events depicted in the movie.
Thus, I really wasn't a disinterested theater-goer. My team SHOULD have won the prize, but obviously didn't get it.
Were these Facebook college kids really THAT much better? Were they more technically sophisticated? Better managed? I really don't think so.
There are many, many reasons why one company pulls away from the pack, leaving many others in the dust. Timing has a lot to do with it. Luck has a lot to do with it. And yes, some decisions are just "right".
For example, in the movie, the Zuckerberg makes a big deal about the site not going down. If it does, even for a few minutes, restless users will just naturally migrate to something more stable. Absolutely correct! Our web site was sometimes up... and many times down. Those restless users who did give us a try moved on elsewhere. We never had a chance, although we had plenty of money and supposedly experienced management.
Perhaps the sex and drug scenes in the movie were overdone for theatrical effect. Perhaps not. All I know is that my own experiences at a similar Ivy League school some 35 years before this time period were entirely different. Although I'm definitely not a prude, I'm not really sure that I envy today's college students if those scenes were even remotely correct. People who act that way may be having "fun" in the eyes of the world, but in my own eyes, people like that are pampered, morally weak, and ultimately self-destructive. Not the kind of folks I would be comfortable hanging around with.
I have read that the movie provokes two very different reactions in audiences.
Older people are appalled with the ethical blindness of the main character, while younger people greatly admire what he accomplished, no matter the twists and turns he had to navigate along the way.
Somehow, in my mind, the "price" just isn't worth it for the people involved, the company and ultimately the society it represents. I keep thinking that all this will ultimately come out badly for all those involved. After all, these people are still very young, and in a real sense, the movie is only "Act 1".
Aside from the fact that I don't really admire these people (no, I really don't want to be "just like Mark"!), I have a feeling that the social networking scene will evolve over the next ten years or so away from the closed, proprietary approach of Facebook, to something more detailed, open, and personally more valuable. In my case, if Facebook disappeared tomorrow morning, it wouldn't greatly affect the conduct of my life one way or another. Social Network Version 2, 3 or 10 will be such a vital part of my daily life that I'd pay almost anything to keep access to it. I feel that way today towards Google Voice. I really personally care less about Facebook.
So, it will be fun to re-visit this movie in, say, 20 years, to see how things have changed.
If I'm right, Facebook will be known then as the AOL of the 21st Century.
Until then, my friends, be safe... and socially connected!
I must say that it was more interesting than I anticipated.
Of course, I approached the movie from a very different perspective from the vast majority in the audience. You see, I was an employee of a company that was a forerunner to Facebook, launched 4 years prior to the events depicted in the movie.
Thus, I really wasn't a disinterested theater-goer. My team SHOULD have won the prize, but obviously didn't get it.
Were these Facebook college kids really THAT much better? Were they more technically sophisticated? Better managed? I really don't think so.
There are many, many reasons why one company pulls away from the pack, leaving many others in the dust. Timing has a lot to do with it. Luck has a lot to do with it. And yes, some decisions are just "right".
For example, in the movie, the Zuckerberg makes a big deal about the site not going down. If it does, even for a few minutes, restless users will just naturally migrate to something more stable. Absolutely correct! Our web site was sometimes up... and many times down. Those restless users who did give us a try moved on elsewhere. We never had a chance, although we had plenty of money and supposedly experienced management.
Perhaps the sex and drug scenes in the movie were overdone for theatrical effect. Perhaps not. All I know is that my own experiences at a similar Ivy League school some 35 years before this time period were entirely different. Although I'm definitely not a prude, I'm not really sure that I envy today's college students if those scenes were even remotely correct. People who act that way may be having "fun" in the eyes of the world, but in my own eyes, people like that are pampered, morally weak, and ultimately self-destructive. Not the kind of folks I would be comfortable hanging around with.
I have read that the movie provokes two very different reactions in audiences.
Older people are appalled with the ethical blindness of the main character, while younger people greatly admire what he accomplished, no matter the twists and turns he had to navigate along the way.
Somehow, in my mind, the "price" just isn't worth it for the people involved, the company and ultimately the society it represents. I keep thinking that all this will ultimately come out badly for all those involved. After all, these people are still very young, and in a real sense, the movie is only "Act 1".
Aside from the fact that I don't really admire these people (no, I really don't want to be "just like Mark"!), I have a feeling that the social networking scene will evolve over the next ten years or so away from the closed, proprietary approach of Facebook, to something more detailed, open, and personally more valuable. In my case, if Facebook disappeared tomorrow morning, it wouldn't greatly affect the conduct of my life one way or another. Social Network Version 2, 3 or 10 will be such a vital part of my daily life that I'd pay almost anything to keep access to it. I feel that way today towards Google Voice. I really personally care less about Facebook.
So, it will be fun to re-visit this movie in, say, 20 years, to see how things have changed.
If I'm right, Facebook will be known then as the AOL of the 21st Century.
Until then, my friends, be safe... and socially connected!
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