The Social Network
Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
Directed by David Fincher
Starring Jessie Eisenberg
Using your own paper please read and answer the following questions:
1. What are your experiences of Facebook? What do you see as its benefits and drawbacks?
2. What did you think of the film? How did it make you feel? How did you respond to Mark?
3. 'There's a difference between being obsessed and motivated,' Mark assures his girlfriend. What is Mark most passionate
about? How much is he prepared to sacrifice in pursuit of his goals?
4. 'I was your only friend - you had one friend,' Eduardo tells Mark across the deposition table. What is Mark and Eduardo's
friendship like? Why did it break down?
5. What did you make of the film's portrayal of Harvard's elitist culture? How did this influence the main characters?
6. 'I'm six-five, 220 pounds and there are two of me,' says Tyler Winklevoss. What are the Winklevoss' strengths and
weaknesses?
7. Sean Parker: 'You know what's cooler than a million dollars?'
Eduardo Saverin: 'You?'
Sean Parker: 'A billion dollars.'
How are the themes of 'coolness' and money played out through the film?
8. Facebook has around 500 million members worldwide. What impact has it had on our culture?
9. 'Who are you? . . . I mean, what do you do?' Mark asked junior lawyer Marylin Delpy. In what ways does Facebook
encourage us to define ourselves? How does this affect our concept of identity?
10. 'As if every thought that tumbles through your head was so clever it would be a crime for it not to be shared,' Mark's ex Erica
snaps at Mark. Why are people drawn to the idea of broadcasting their personal lives on the internet?
11. 'The internet's not written in pencil, Mark. It's written in ink,' states Erica, seething at the comments he blogged about her.
Why is the typed word so powerful? Why is it tempting to misuse this power online? What positive things can social-
networking sites achieve when used to their full potential?
12. '[Mark's] from a logged-in, left-out generation that knows little of beauty and even less of feeling,' says Empire. Do you
agree, and why/why not? How might this generation resolve these problems and learn to connect with people on a deeper
level?
13. By the end of the film, what judgements - if any - do you think the film ultimately makes about Mark and the creation of
Facebook?