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Joe Jared
Dr. Dietel-McLaughlin
WR 13300
13 October 2014
Relationship Status: Its Complicated
Technological innovations in the twenty-first century are rapidly changing modern
societys way of life. Telephones, tablets, and computers connect all corners of the Earth and
ease avenues of communication. Younger generations greatly embrace these new forms of
communication, resulting in the establishment of social media. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter,
and Instagram allow users to connect with the world and share their lives with long distance
friends, family, and complete strangers. As these generations rely more and more on technology
as their primary form of contact, the importance of social skills and personal communication is
diminishing. On the surface, the film, The Social Network, directed by David Fincher and
released in 2010, documents the origins of Facebook, the largest social networking site on the
Web. Starring Jesse Eisenberg as Facebooks founder, Mark Zuckerberg and his best friend
Eduardo Saverin, played by Andrew Garfield, the film details the events resulting in the creation
of Facebook. However, The Social Network, also tackles the difficulty many millenials have
establishing and maintaining healthy relationships as they increasingly relying on social media to
connect with others.
Although rhetoric is typically associated with oral and written mediums, technological
developments have established film and other media as a new rhetorical form, visual rhetoric.
Herrick defines rhetoric as, the systematic study and intentional practice of effective symbolic
expression. Effective here will mean () persuasion, clarity, beauty, or mutual understanding

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(7). Visual rhetoric takes the strengths and characteristics of rhetorical discourse and applies it to
photography and film. These artistic mediums intend to elicit particular emotional responses
from an audience. Visual rhetoric differentiates itself from other forms of rhetoric by creating
meaning, from interaction between the visual object and the viewer () The visual object
invites certain responses and discourages others (Foss 329). This analysis, moreover, can lead
viewers out of the self-contained () universe of the text () to the world beyond the text (329)
(Lancioni 106). Visual rhetoric excels in creating meaning with a greater application to the real
world through its use of images to better connect with the audience. Through its use of key
rhetorical elements, The Social Network creates meaning and attempts to persuade the audience
to accept certain claims about the real world.
The dramatic structure of the film builds off of a series of flash-forwards and flashbacks
to tell its story. One of the key elements of effective rhetorical persuasion is the arrangement of
an argument or message. Herrick defines rhetorical arrangement as, the planned ordering of a
message to achieve the greatest effect, whether of persuasion, clarity, or beauty (14). The Social
Network arranges its argument to create the desired impact on its audience. A series of
depositions interrupts the narrative to reveal that the story culminates with Zuckerberg involved
in a series of lawsuits with his best friend and co-founder, Eduardo, as well as the Winklevoss
twins, played by Archie Hammer. This foreshadowing seems like it spoils the ending, but this
film does not rely solely on plot. By intertwining these court scenes with the narrative, the
audience becomes aware that Zuckerbergs relationship with Eduardo is destined to go downhill.
One particular scene highlighting this foreshadowing occurs when Eduardo comments that
Zuckerberg, was my best friend (The Social Network). Although this scene provides enough
emotional material on its own, the foreshadowing it supplies to the plot directs greater attention

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to the deterioration of their friendship. The overall dramatic structure of the film functions to
spotlight certain exchanges between characters and shifts the audiences attention to the actual
relationships between the characters on screen.
The film also utilizes portrait shots as a rhetorical method in the film to highlight specific
facial reactions. The use of close up facial shots in the film emphasizes what is said as well as the
emotional responses of others in the room. Often, when Zuckerberg speaks in the deposition
scenes, the reactions of others in the room parallel with audience emotional reactions. For
example, Zuckerberg openly insults an administrative hearing because he believes he, deserves
recognition for pointing out gaping holes in the [Harvard computer] system (The Social
Network). A close up portrait of a couple of the members of the board show their stunned
expressions. These slight cinematic details resonate greatly with the viewing audience by
mirroring the casts expressions with the audiences emotional reactions.
Jesse Eisenbergs portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg reflects many of the negative qualities
found in the millennial generation. One particular aspect of his characterization comes from the
perception that Zuckerberg is an asshole. Early in the movie, Erica Albright, Marks girlfriend
at the time, blatantly says to his face that, you are an asshole (The Social Network). The use of
a portrait shot during this scene emphasizes the importance of this line and its repetition
throughout the film. Mark strives for notoriety and attention, however he tries to achieve this by
fitting the description Erica previously gave him. Soon after the breakup, Mark gets on his blog
and posts rude comments about Erica. These events reflect millennial generations obsession
with gaining notoriety of their own. Online bullying has become a large problem for youths of all
ages, often stemming from social media sites. The notoriety from insulting people online satiates
many peoples desire for attention. In essence, more people believe that acting like an asshole

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can lead to increased popularity and greater social acceptance, two of the primary reasons for
Zuckerbergs creation of Facebook. However, one could argue that the final line of the film
counters this claim. A member of Marks legal team tells him, You arent an asshole, Mark.
Youre just trying so hard to be (The Social Network). So Mark wasnt actually an asshole
this entire time? No, throughout the film Mark fully embraced this label, however the movie
attempts to point out that Mark chooses to do so on his own. His overwhelming desire to connect
with others and establish relationships drives his negative personality, not some intrinsic
neurological quality. The repetition of this description as well as Eisenbergs portrayal of
Zuckerberg reinforces the parallels between the character and the millennial generation.
Eisenbergs skills as an actor also play a large role in depicting Zuckerbergs inability to
pay complete attention to anything at any given time. He constantly fidgets, does not maintain
eye contact during conversations, and even doodles during his depositions. In one scene from the
depositions, one of the prosecuting attorneys asks Zuckerberg if the attorney has his attention. He
replies, You have part of my attention. You have the minimum amount. The rest of my attention
is back at the offices of Facebook (The Social Network). During an extremely important event
that could result in losses of millions of dollars, Mark still thinks about Facebook. He still thinks
about social media. Again, Zuckerbergs traits mirror the millennial generation. Rarely people
give one hundred percent of their attention to certain tasks nowadays. Music, text messages,
tweets, and status updates constantly distract people from events going on around them.
Zuckerbergs anxiousness as well as his constant thoughts about Facebook symbolize the
constant distraction social media provides for the millennial generation.
The contrasting qualities of Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin add a great amount of
depth to the characterization of their respective roles. Mark is an awful friend; he uses Eduardo

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to start Facebook and eventually kicks him out of the company. During Eduardos process of
joining the Phoenix Club, Mark is blatantly jealous and often drops passive aggressive comments
towards Eduardo. On the other hand, Eduardo is the perfect friend to Mark. He makes sure Mark
is okay after his breakup, waits outside Marks administrative hearing to let him know someone
cares about him, and puts up his own money to start Facebook. The disparity between these two
characters particularly highlights Zuckerbergs negative qualities. He cannot even maintain a
healthy relationship with his best friend, someone who cares about him despite all of his
shortcomings. Similar to many of Zuckerbergs other negative social qualities, the millennial
generation reflects this distinct difficulty connecting with others. The relationship between these
two characters speaks volumes about Mark Zuckerbergs inability to maintain healthy
relationships even with those who care most about him.
The movies emphasis on the relationship status acts as a symbol for millenials
obsession with social media and online relationships. The significance of this Facebook culture
can translate to real world repercussions. One primary example is the scene when Christie
confronts Eduardo about his relationship status on Facebook. There is a stark contrast between
the two characters, Eduardo does not see the big deal about not changing his status and admits to
not knowing how to change it. On the other hand, Christie has a breakdown over Eduardos
relationship status and sets a trashcan on fire out of sheer anger. Although this event likely did
not occur, from a rhetorical standpoint it makes sense that the director included it in the film. In
order to elicit a particular emotional response from the audience, this exaggeration intends to
shock [the] audience out of complacency, and enhance the impact of [the] discourse and to
make it more vivid and memorable (Herrick 15). This trashcan scene reflects the overall
absurdity of social media and acts as an example for potential real world repercussions.

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Although the purpose of film is to entertain an audience, many films do so artistically.
Similar to novels and other forms of media, film can have themes, motifs, and deliver messages
that may not be obvious to some viewers. The Social Network entertains audiences and makes
them reconsider social media and the difficulties some people have establishing and maintaining
healthy relationships. Despite basing its story on the founding of Facebook, this film is not a
documentary. Mark Zuckerberg himself has critiqued the accuracy of the film, claiming many
scenes were exaggerated or created by the writers for the film. Is this really an issue? In
preparation for this film, no one involved with the production met the real people portrayed in
The Social Network (Serba). In an interview, writer Aaron Sorkin claims that, We
aggressively pursued Facebooks cooperation and Marks cooperation in the making of the
movie, and I wont lie to you, I was relieved when we didnt get it. () I didnt want the sense
that this was a Facebook production (Serba). Instead of creating a fact driven story, The Social
Network gives itself the freedom to experiment with different ideas and themes. In her
description of the film, The Civil War, a film comprised of various photos from the Civil War
and narration, Judith Lancioni states that, The photographs are authentic. The people and places
they depict did in fact exist. But the films manner of presentation calls attention to itself,
encouraging viewers to pay attention to the construction of the photographs (108). This applies
to The Social Network, as well. By basing the film on an event with real characters, the audience
experiences a greater feeling of authenticity from the film. However, the use of rhetorical
features in the film creates a deeper meaning, encouraging viewers to look beyond the plot to
come to a greater understanding about life. The film challenges viewers to rethink several
aspects of social networking and how it can hamper personal relationships between human
beings. Technology may be easing the process of communicating and connecting with others, but

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lurking under all of the friend requests and followers lay a large population of users who struggle
to fit in to the social standards of reality.

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Works Cited
Herrick, James A. The History and Theory of Rhetoric. 2nd ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2001.
Print.
Lancioni, Judith. The Rhetoric of the Frame: Revisioning Archival Photographs in the Civil
a

War. Visual Rhetoric: A Reader in Communication and American Culture. Newbury a

Park, CA: SAGE Publications, 2008. Print.

Serba, John. "'The Social Network' writer Aaron Sorkin says modern story has classic themes."
mlive.com. N.p., 1 Oct. 2010. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/grandrapids/index.ssf/2010/10/the_social_network_writer_aaro.html#comments>.
The Social Network. Dir. David Fincher. Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin. Columbia Pictures
industries, 2010. Film.