The social network - Essay Example

Write an essay in your own words (at least 500 words) after watching ‘The Social Network’. What are success factors of The Facebook? Why was it successful when others were not?”‘The Social Network’ brings us to the origin of Facebook, in the dormitories of Harvard. It shows us how this student startup was created and how it began on the journey to dominating the social media scene, and in the process making its founders billionaires.The movie begins with Mark Zuckerberg getting dumped by his girlfriend Erica.

This scene is important because it sets the tone of the story that follows. It invites the audience to judge; is Zuckerberg an ‘asshole’ or is he just another misunderstood nerd? The movie is as much a story about Zuckerberg as it is about Facebook. The dialogues also underline Zuckerberg’s need to belong to one of the prestigious Final Clubs, and his almost rabid obsession. This is strengthened by the success of his friend Eduardo Saverin in getting into Phoenix, one of the exclusive clubs at Harvard.

The movie is clearly written from Saverin’s point of view. Thus, the movie alternates between the early days of Facebook [When it was known as ‘The Facebook’] and the independent lawsuits involving Saverin and the Winklevoss twins against Zuckerberg. If the movie had been written from the Winklevoss’ twins perspective, it would perhaps have focused more on the definition of an idea and their allegations that mark Zuckerberg stole their idea. That makes for interesting thought. Did Zuckerberg steal their idea?

Or did he improve upon it so substantially that it was something different from their idea? As put by Zuckerberg in the movie, he believes that Facebook was his own product and that the Winklevoss’ team did not have either the competence or imagination to build such a thing.The movie also makes us think about the importance of intellectual property. What was merely an idea in 2004 is now worth billions. Should the Winklevoss team have done something much earlier? Shouldn’t they have filed for restraining orders and injunctive reliefs?

Perhaps they should have. However, in that case Facebook would perhaps never have been what it is today. Another important aspect of the film is the analysis of Saverin and Zuckerberg’s relationship with each other. Saverin is portrayed as likeable and someone who tried his best to make Facebook a success. However, it is clear that he does not have control over the frenetic pace with which Facebook develops, and how he ends up losing out to Sean Parker, in terms of Zuckerberg’s affection.

At the end Zuckerberg ends up settling with both the parties. However, it would be wrong to castigate Zuckerberg. Mark Zuckerberg built Facebook, and it was his focus and capability which has allowed it to be the product that is used by so many users today. Further, he did not differentiate between Saverin and Sean Parker, when he thought that they did not add much value to the company. I don’t think the movie makes any moral judgments. It is a complex saga and has many characters and different point of views.

While this one is best viewed from Eduardo Saverin’s eyes, it can also be seen through Zuckerberg’s eyes. Perhaps, the movie would have been better with inputs from Zuckerberg, but surprisingly Zuckerberg the creator of Facebook is a private person. As the film puts it, there are no solutions or a clear villain. This can be seen in Zuckerberg sending a friend request to Erica at the end of the movie. There are a bunch of facts, and the audience is free to interpret it in any way they want.

Besides its characterisation, this movie also gives us a hint as to why Facebook has been so successful. Firstly, there was a clear focus on exclusivity on its initial days. This approach provided for a safe and secure environment where people were comfortable with sharing their personal information and uploading photos and relationship statuses etc (Perry). This provided for much needed authenticity and stopped any possibility of fake profiles. In the realm of universities throughout the world, this became a sort of ‘final club’ just like the Phoenix and Porcellian at Harvard.

Next, Facebook was very clear in its minimal structure and the need to refrain from advertisements. This provided for a user experience which was simple as well as addictive. A contrast can be drawn to Orkut, which had may more features, and hence required a higher level of understanding for effective usage (Jens). Further, the timing of Facebook was perfect. It coincided with increased internet speeds which made it easier for users to share photos and videos (Blodget), along with the increased focus on going digital.

Besides, it had the advantage of seeing other similar ventures like Friendster etc, and making sure that it did not have any similar startup problems.Most important of all, was Mark Zuckerberg himself. As shown in the movie as well, he was a programmer with a lot of ability. This combined with his focus and belief in his product, which can be seen in his decision to leave Harvard to work on establishing Facebook. He was the difference between the idea and the finished product. He was further instrumental in getting the right people on board and making sure that he had complete control of his product (Blodget).

These are the reasons why I think Facebook was successful, where most of its competitors were not. Further, I believe Facebook’s continued success is also due to a lack of a genuine competitor in the social networking scene.Works CitedBlodget, Henry. “The 13 Secrets to Facebook’s Success” Business Insider, n.p., 17 May, 2012, Web., 27 Nov.2012. Meydam, Jens. “People x Process: How Facebook Became the Hottest Company on the Planet” Swiss Limited WIP Society, n.p., 26 March, 2011, Web., 27 Nov.2012.

Perry, Todd. “Why is Facebook Successful?” Quora, n.p., 11 March, 2011, Web., 27 Nov. 2012. Why has Facebook been successful? Its early focus on elite ideas. Then its subsequent expansion. The idea of integration. More importantly urging people to blur the line between public and private; taking mire liberties with privacy controls. Basically allowing people to check other people out!