The Matrix and The Social Network are two movies that bring to life two startling ideas. One introduces us to a reality in which people are controlled by intelligent machines, while the other depicts the reality of Facebook and its founding. Many might say that the Matrix is simply science fiction, whereas The Social Network tells the real story behind the largest social network. Is it really that simple?
Both movies come from Hollywood, the place synonymous to making money. In fact, the Matrix might have more value simply because the time when it was released allowed new, meaningful ideas to be brought to the big screen. After just more than ten years, things have changed as blockbusters roll out every week and the emphasis is placed on famous actors and actresses, and special effects, rather than on content. So, is it not the case with The Social Network which came out in 2010?
Of course, I do believe that there is no smoke without fire. As the poster for the movie puts it “YOU DON’T GET TO 500 MILLION FRIENDS WITHOUT MAKING A FEW ENEMIES”. Indeed, it is often much more complicated in the real world. Still, I cannot help to notice that Facebook is one of the few websites that does not annoy its users with countless flashy advertisements. As it is also shown in the movie, Zuckerberg was reluctant towards advertising on Facebook from the beginning. This describes him as a person who does not care only about money. Now, if I analyze the characteristic of Wu’s “defining moguls” there must also be the need for power or greatness. This is also debatable as Facebook was initially a network restricted to Harvard students and the idea of expansion seems not to be entirely Zuckerberg’s. In an interview for Time Magazine, he shares his opinion about the movie: “the biggest thing that thematically they missed is the concept that you would have to want to do something — date someone or get into some final club — in order to be motivated to do something like this. It just like completely misses the actual motivation for what we're doing, which is, we think it's an awesome thing to do.”
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| geek&poke |
Going back to The Matrix, the concept presented by the Wachowski brothers seems to me more startling. Even if I have manifested my enthusiasm towards the development of AI in previous posts, I have to wonder if this scenario could actually take place. It is eventually all about control. Intelligent machines could take over our lives, and everything we do or think. At the same time, Facebook could control us through advertisements. It is true that using our personal information (for example: gender or age) specific ads appear on different walls, but it is not as if a third party gets access to private information. Moreover, Facebook has proved very useful in promoting democracy in the recent events in Africa. According to Zucerkberg, Facebook is meant to bring the power back to the people. In his book “Grown up digital”, Tapscott shares what he discussed with Zuckerberg in 2008, regarding the future of Facebook: “[Facebook] wasn’t just going to be a social network for friends. It would be a social utility, like a power grid.” (64). It will be interesting to see if humans will rely on Facebook to fight the coming age of machines.
Works cited:
Wu, Tim. The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires. New York: Knopf, 2010. Print.
Tapscott, Don. Grown up digital. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print.
"Person of the Year." Time (2010).Web. http://tinyurl.com/2u4jmvf. 22 Mar. 2011.
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