Colpoys 1 Conor Colpoys Dr.

Dietel-McLaughlin WR 133000: Multimedia Writing & Rhetroic 27 February 2014 Competition in the Social Network The Social Network is a film directed by David Fincher with screenplay by Aaron Sorkin. The film examines the process of the creation of the now worldwide social networking site, Facebook. On the surface this film may be a bio pic of the start of a company, but underneath it asks the viewer to take a closer look at male friendship. This film is riddled with rhetoric to convince the viewers of many different things. Rhetoric is merely an art that seeks to influence and persuade (Herrick 3). The director uses rhetorical techniques to make claims throughout the move and support them. One of the claims that the film The Social Network, makes is that maleto-male relationships, particularly between young adult males, are inherently and inevitably competitive. The most prolific rhetorical strategy used to support the claim of male competition in The Social Network can be found in the dialogue between characters. The opening scene displays the films protagonist, Mark Zuckerburg, sitting in a college bar with his girlfriend Erica Albright. Immediately the viewer is thrown into the self conscious and competitive mind of Zuckerburg as he rants and raves about what he must do to gain access to Harvards exclusive Final Clubs (Harvards frats basically). The competition to get into the Final Clubs is fierce. As the conversation continues, Albright suggests that she likes guys who row crew and immediately Mark goes into self-defense mode. He calls her delusional for thinking he could ever row crew. He asks if she has seen guys who do crew, They are bigger than me, theyre world class

Colpoys 2 athletes, Mark explains. According to media scholar Judith Lancioni, visual objects and expressions invite the viewer to draw certain responses (Lancioni 106), and that is precisely what we see as the camera shifts to the sense of wounded pride Mark has plastered on his face. In the first scene, the director only introduces one male character, but Fincher gives the viewer the impression that already Zuckerburg is competing with other males who arent even at the table. We see Marks facial expressions that look annoyed, jealous, and even angry at points in the dimly lit bar. He interrupts Erica numerous times with fast non-stop chatter. The camera angles give us face shots that invite us to feel like we are a part of the conversation and allow us to sense Marks uneasiness. Through dialogue Zuckerburg brings up the doorman who has nothing to do with the conversation, which furthers shows Marks self consciousness when it comes to viewing himself with other men. Dialogue continues to play a role as Mark meets the Winklevoss twins. Instead of asking them what they are interested in, Zuckerburg comments, You guys look like you spend some time at the gym. Once again Marks inherent competitiveness and self-consciousness shines through the conversation. It is ironic that the Winklesvoss twins row crew, which is the sport Erica and Mark argued about in the first scene. Perhaps the director is setting up some jealousy and thereby giving a reason for Marks theft of their idea that is to come later in the film. The director is inviting the viewer to believe that Mark stole the twins idea in order to prove that he could compete with them. Mark may not be as big and strong as them, but he is smarter. The Winklevoss twins represent the idea of physical competitiveness in the film. Another rhetorical technique used by Fincher can be seen in the films costuming and casting. One male-to-male relationship in which this is evident is between the Winklevoss twins and Mark. Mark is played by five foot seven inch, 163 pound Jesse Eisenberg while the

Colpoys 3 Winklevoss twins are played by the six foot four inch broad shoulder Armie Hammer. Looking at the first interaction between these three characters we cant help but notice the considerable size difference, which Fincher uses to emphasize Marks insecurity about his masculinity in the presence of such giants. The camera angle makes the viewer have to notice that Mark is looking up to these two giants. The Winklevosss are also wearing nice outfits as opposed to Marks baggie hoodie that he seems to rock throughout his college flashbacks. Mark feels the need to compete with the Winklevoss twins before he even knows them. The Winklevoss twins themselves are very competitive people much more outright and traditional than Mark. Between the two, Tyler and Cameron bicker about whether to sue Mark or not with each of the twins wanting to be considered alpha male. The Winklevoss twins represent Harvard at the Hentley Royal Regatta in London. The camera shows the look of strain on their face as the music in the background booms out a fast-paced competitive tune. Despite their best effort they fall to second place in the race and are visibly upset. The natural nature of competition is displayed in this scene because a race is inherently competitive. However, once the twins go to the after party for the race a different aspect of their competitiveness is on display. The twins are mad they dont get the respect from some high ranking officials in attendance like the winners too. They also learn that Facebook has gone international and finally they cannot take being bested anymore by Zuckerburg. Screw it, lets gut the frickin nerd, one twin finally gives in to the pressure from his brother and friend to take legal action and sue Mark in federal court. The competition between Eduardo and Mark is not as apparent as some of the other relationships at first. The dialogue in which we first meet Eduardo where he tells Mark, Im here for you, leads us to believe that Eduardo wants to be that friend for Mark. However, we

Colpoys 4 see the dynamic when Mark only wants the algorithm and nothing more from Eduardo. Eduardo is constantly competing for Marks approval or attention throughout the film. When Eduardo lets Mark know that he was punched to the Phoenix, Mark responds, Are you joking? Instead of being happy for his friend we see Marks jealousy, which is a trait that stems from the feeling of inadequacy, take over. Even after the subject is dropped, Mark cant resist taking a shot at his best friend and letting him know that it probably was an diversity thing, in regards to why Eduardo got punched by the Phoenix. In Marks mind Eduardo is beating him in the competition for access to the Harvards Final Clubs and social status. Mark does not do a good job of hiding this envy because Eduardo picks up on it. This is evident in one of the litigation scenes were Eduardo asks Mark if his jealousy over him getting into a Final Club is the reason Mark backstabbed him and caused their friendship and business partnership to come to a tumultuous end. Mark vehemently argues against this point, but his belligerent reaction clearly shows that Eduardos point may hold some merit. The rivalry between Eduardo and Mark continues to build throughout the film. Once Sean Parker is added into the mix the competition becomes even more heated. Eduardo wants to prove his business savvy and does not enjoy Parker for taking Marks attention from Eduardo. This comes to a climax when Eduardo learns that he has had his shares diluted. Infuriated, he goes after Mark who, yet again, ignores him to focus on his computer. Saverin destroys the computer and then pretends to attack Parker. This is a direct attack on the two things that Saverin competed with for Marks attention throughout the film. As Parker flinches away, Saverin says, I like standing next to you Sean, it makes me look so tough. This line brings the masculine competition between Parker and Eduardo out in the open. Much like the rowing scene, a background of music makes this scene even more powerful. Herrick tells us that music can

Colpoys 5 play an important role in rhetoric (Herrick 6). As this scene develops the viewer hears ominous music and sees focused camera angle on Eduardo as his fury spills over his face. The focused camera angle and framing of the scene leads the viewer to the conclusion of its overall importance (Lancioni 110). Another clear-cut casting and costuming choice can be seen in the casting of Sean Parker. Justin Timberlake is a top figure for popularity and sex appeal in America. It was no coincidence that Fincher wanted JT to play the fast living and wild Sean Parker. Parkers suave and appearance represents the competition for social status that is so integral to the entire film. As Parker comes into the restaurant to meet Mark and Eduardo, the camera angle is positioned below him to give him a position of power, particularly in the mind of Zuckerburg who sees him on an elevated social status. Little snippets of Parkers dialogue clue us in on the underlying theme of competition for women throughout the film. One example of this is when Mark asks Parker if there is anything going on between him and one of the Facebook interns. Parker pretends to avoid the question, but in reality drops hints that there is in fact some sort of romantic relationship between himself and the girl. The competition for women is rampant throughout the play and even one of the main reasons that Mark started Facebook to begin with. Finally, the use of parallelism and irony provide a deeper look into some of competition within the film. Language is one of the most powerful symbols of rhetoric (Herrick 5). Parallelism and irony are two literary devices that hone and enhance language. The effective use of these can persuade a reader or viewer because there is more significance drawn to the moment. One such example in the film is the betrayal of another males trust. We see that in both Marks betrayal of the Winklevoss twins and Eduardo he is forced into litigation, which is really just another competition. These two separate lawsuits parallel one in another and send the

Colpoys 6 message that backstabbing will have consequences. The main example of irony in the film occurs later in the movie at the Facebook headquarters scene. Logically, the confrontation between Eduardo and Mark at this time in the film fits the plot line. It is the climax of the movie and leads directly into the litigation that we have been seeing more and more as the film progresses. When watching this scene the viewer feels for Eduardo and is brought into its emotion. It is a powerful scene and one the viewers recognize as extremely important in the overall story of Mark Zuckerburg and Facebook. However, there are a few directors choices that one may not notice on first glance that give the scene added value. It is definitely not a coincidence that Fincher displayed the collapse of Marks strongest friendship at the same time as Facebooks one million-member party. Also, as soon as Eduardo storms out Parker begins telling everybody to get ready to party. Fincher is using arrangement, or, the planned ordering of a message in order to achieve the greatest effect, in this scene (Herrick 14.) Both of these small details are ironic considering the viewer just witnessed the ultimate dissolution of the strongest friendship throughout the movie at the same time as his site hit one million online friends. While the scene is very emotional and important without noting some of the finer details, it is a reasonable conclusion, upon deeper analysis, that the use of irony also played a huge role in the decision to use this scene to end the competition and friendship between Eduardo and Mark. Jealousy and self-consciousness are two common factors rooted in the male-to-male competition that this film asks us to examine. Inherent competition and a warped sense of masculinity cause male-to-male relationships to collapse time and again. Competition for wealth, business prowess, women, and social status all appear at some point throughout the film. As the final scene fades out and we see that Zuckerburg is the youngest billionaire in the world, but

Colpoys 7 according to Herrick, facial expressions and gestures can be just as rhetorically impactful as words (Herrick 6). In this scene those facial expressions are at work as we see Marks dejected expression. He seems to have come out on top in every competition between characters through his manipulative mind with nothing but paying a little bit of money to keep some lawsuits quiet. Zuckerburg has gained more wealth, social status, and business prowess than any other male character in the film. However, as the final scene stops on a close up of Marks defeated expression, a technique Lancioni tells us invites the viewers to consider the scene more carefully (Lancioni 109), and his obsessive refreshing clicking of Erica Albrights page, the viewers cannot help but wonder, Is Mark Zuckerburg really the winner?

Colpoys 8 Works Cited Herrick, James A. The History and Theory of Rhetoric 2nd Edition. Allyn & Bacon 2001. Lancioni, Judith. The Rhetoric of the Frame. Sage Publications 2008. The Social Network. Dir. David Fincher. Perf. Jesse Eisenberg, Armie Hammer, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake. Columbia Pictures, 2010. Film.