By Zadie Smith
Zadie Smith, who has taught fiction at Columbia University and New York University, wrote “Generation Why?” in response to The Social Network, a movie that claims to tell the story of Mark Zuckerberg and the founding of Facebook. As a review, it provides far more analysis than entirely necessary, and as an essay it provides more movie discussion than necessary. Smith attempted to prove that Generation Facebook is more interesting and worthwhile than the website itself. As an essay, discussion of The Social Network was an effective starting point because it gave every reader the same basic knowledge of the topic, although it ran longer than desired. After many pop culture allusions—most of which barely alter the text—Smith finally relates the movie to the real-life Mark Zuckerberg. Smith writes, “Generation Facebook’s obsession with this type of ‘celebrity lifestyle’ is more than familiar. [...] But would Zuckerberg recognize it, the real Zuckerberg? Are these really his motivations, his obsessions? No—and the movie knows it” (189). She begins to debate Zuckerberg’s real motivations and explain how fundamentally the movie mischaracterized him. The Social Network makes him look like a fame seeker, businessman, and devoted ex-boyfriend, she argues, but he's really a self-absorbed man who enjoys programming and wants to fit in.
Zadie Smith, who has taught fiction at Columbia University and New York University, wrote “Generation Why?” in response to The Social Network, a movie that claims to tell the story of Mark Zuckerberg and the founding of Facebook. As a review, it provides far more analysis than entirely necessary, and as an essay it provides more movie discussion than necessary. Smith attempted to prove that Generation Facebook is more interesting and worthwhile than the website itself. As an essay, discussion of The Social Network was an effective starting point because it gave every reader the same basic knowledge of the topic, although it ran longer than desired. After many pop culture allusions—most of which barely alter the text—Smith finally relates the movie to the real-life Mark Zuckerberg. Smith writes, “Generation Facebook’s obsession with this type of ‘celebrity lifestyle’ is more than familiar. [...] But would Zuckerberg recognize it, the real Zuckerberg? Are these really his motivations, his obsessions? No—and the movie knows it” (189). She begins to debate Zuckerberg’s real motivations and explain how fundamentally the movie mischaracterized him. The Social Network makes him look like a fame seeker, businessman, and devoted ex-boyfriend, she argues, but he's really a self-absorbed man who enjoys programming and wants to fit in.
After
providing a lot of information about the nature of Facebook, its founder, and
its "generation," Smith demonstrates the reason why Generation Facebook is above
its own technology. Using a quote from programmer Jaron Lanier, Smith declares
that “information underrepresents reality,” which explains why a person cannot
be accurately reduced to a web profile (193). She also argues that sharing these
basic versions of ourselves is how Zuckerberg defines social interaction: another
reason why the site is so limited. Smith made several other claims about the
simplicity of advertising and the difficulty of removing one’s virtual identity,
but she had already argued so many points that these were lost. Her
purpose was already fulfilled, but it could have been clearer with less clutter. Perhaps Smith's intended audience (aged thirty and over) would have wanted or needed this amount of discussion, but as someone who grew up in the world of Facebook, I'd prefer it simplified.
Zuckerberg's Facebook Profile
Facebook limits personhood to name, birthday, hometown, and profile picture.
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