With the advancement of technology, life becomes easier and more convenient. With the click of the button, we can send messages, talk to family members across the room, or write a letter via e-mail. The communication between people is easier, faster, and more immediate than ever before. Ironically the ease with which people communicate has led to, arguably, a lack in disconnect. Experts claim that social interaction is harmed by tweeting or Facebook messaging. They also say Google emailing and Google messaging can make it difficult to communicate with each other. After watching The Social Network in this communications course, I was able to see the many ways that Mark Zuckerberg’s main character fails to understand and communicate with his peers.

The first instance of miscommunication is early in the movie between Mark Zuckerberg’s girlfriend, Erica Albright. While watching the movie, my first impression was that Mark and Erica are on a dating date. The audience learns that Erica was Mark’s girlfriend as their conversation unfolds. Mark’s ability to jump from one topic to another and then back to the old ones was impressive. Erica’s confused look shows me that this could be a very confusing situation for others. Mark’s communication problems are not limited to this one scene. Not only is he not able to communicate well with his girlfriend whom he may have known for many months, he also fails to understand her facial and body expressions. I was able to tell from their conversation that Erica felt offended by Mark’s condescending remarks. Mark mocked Erica’s Boston University education, or he said she wouldn’t meet the people she was introduced to by herself because she didn’t belong there, as Mark thought. Mark’s lack of understanding not only his girlfriend’s feelings and thoughts, but also people in general, was interesting. This scene was important to me because it showed Mark’s lack of empathy and his self-centeredness.

Mark’s emailed conversations with Tyler Winklevoss & Cameron Winklevoss & Divya narendra were the next example that I consider important. Mark, who was angry that Erica left him, created Facemash in order to retaliate. He received a lot of attention by his peers. It was mainly negative. Cameron, Tyler and Divya are upperclassmen at Harvard who discover Mark via their student paper. The group asks Mark if he would help build the Harvard Connection, a website on which they have been working over the past few weeks. Mark begins working on the site without hesitation.

Mark is still working on the Harvard Connection website. Mark is working on his website and Divya can be seen exchanging emailed back and forth. Mark is always making excuses. He may be attending class or eating with his father, or even requiring extra time. “…our texts, tweets and wall posts do not provide the same nonverbal cues or hints as face-toface conversations. Mark may have misled them on purpose, but the Trio might have been able to detect Mark’s lackluster attitude towards their website or lies if they exchanged their emails face-toface. Mark also creates an exclusive social media site, which costs the Trio money.

Mark’s inability to communicate also shows up as he is sued for his actions. Mark says he didn’t intend to work with the Harvard Connection trio, but he assured them he was going to. Mark shows a lack of consideration and communication for his surroundings. Mark had promised that he would help Cameron Tyler and Divya. Despite my dislike for them, I felt they deserved to be told what was going on, particularly after he made the promise to do so. Mark’s selfishness can be seen again when he makes the group believe that he is building their website and then steals their idea.

A miscommunication is also shown later in the film when Mark puts TheFacebook.com up online. It has now grown to encompass many Ivy League Schools. Mark states explicitly at the beginning of TheFacebook that any profits or earnings will be divided 70/30. Mark will receive 70 percent, and Eduardo, 30 percent. Eduardo accepted this proposition with a smile. Mark’s selfishness is again on display later in the film when Facebook receives $500,000. Eduardo was angry that Mark let Sean Parker make business decision, even though Eduardo is the one who runs the website. Eduardo, in retaliation for Mark’s actions, froze Facebook’s accounts. Eduardo unfrozes his accounts when he learns about the cash. Unfortunately, this is not true. Eduardo’s profits drop from 30 percent to just 0.03%.

There were several ways to handle this situation in order for Mark not to be sued by Eduardo. Mark should have recognized that Facebook could not exist without Eduardo. The audience has seen Mark’s arrogance and entitlement by this time in the film. Eduardo also had the option of dealing with the discovery in many ways. However, he chose to confront and be angry. This scene, to me, ties into Mark’s inability to communicate that is evident throughout the film. Mark not only doesn’t communicate, he doesn’t even care. He makes a minimal effort to try to understand Erica. He does not speak with the trio in a normal way. And he doesn’t tell Eduardo about his business plans. It is his extreme selfishness and lack of empathy that hinders this communication. Mark makes many assumptions and expects others to accept or agree with him. This is seen throughout the entire movie. Mark has never shown empathy to anyone. He seemed to expect people to show him empathy. In the end, I only found him sympathetic when he was shunned at the beginning of a movie for creating a site aimed at lowering girl’s self esteem and entertaining boy’s testosterone.

Mark faces two lawsuits: Eduardo’s and the Trio’s accusing Mark of stealing intellectual property. Mark’s mind is focused on other things in a scene from the movie. He sits down at a deposition. Mark’s response to the lawyer when he asks where he is focusing is: “…the office of Facebook, where I and my colleagues do things that no-one in this room is capable of, especially not your clients [the Trio], is an example of ethos. The definition of ethos in our textbook is “a type of rhetorical evidence that appeals towards ethics and focuses on the qualifications and personality” (pg. G6). Mark tries to demonstrate that his knowledge of computer technology is superior to the Trio. He also wants the Trio to know that Mark was the one who created Facebook.

The Social Network is a documentary that documents the rise of Facebook, one of today’s most popular creations. Everyone, no matter the social class or race of the person, has heard of Facebook. Facebook’s original goal was exclusivity. But now, Facebook is the exact opposite. It is a website that spans the globe, allowing its citizens to access it from anywhere. Ironically, a website designed to facilitate communication is often blamed for the decline in human interaction. Ironically, the character of the creator of Facebook in the film seems to have a basic lack understanding about human communication and interaction. Mark Zuckerberg’s communication and personality are that of a child. He’s entitled, naive, and blinded to others’ opinions, feelings, and words. From the very first scene, I thought his character was deplorable. My opinion only grew as the film progressed. Mark, however, displayed a number of different communication issues, which led to the numerous lawsuits he filed. The Social Network was enjoyable because I could relate to the concept it explored. At the same time, I studied the film for the concept of communication that I study.