The Truth Behind the Social Network

Published on Oct 10th, 2010
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If you are cool and saw The Social Network this weekend (seriously, you should see it), then you've probably already dug out the smartphone and checked Wikipedia to verify a few facts the movie presented on-screen.  

 

I hope you did at least, and didn't blindly believe everything you saw.

 

While David Fincher did a great job of poking a bit of fun at the movie itself on-screen, letting the audience in on the fact that everything is up for a bit of debate, some hard facts did make it in to the movie, and other's aren't as verifiable.

 

Slash Film just busted out a guide to some of the most frequently asked questions movie-goers are probably wondering about in their heads.  

 

 

Here's a look at the highlights, after the amazing picture of Mark Zuckerberg himself.

 

 

#1)  Did Mark Zuckerberg really call his girlfriend a bitch while creating FaceMash.com?

 

Yes.  Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin used an actual trasncript from Zuckerberg's former LiveJournal Blog (down to the HTML code) for the movie.

 

#2)  Does Erica Albright, the girlfriend character Rooney Mara played in the film, actually exist?

 

Apparently so, but her name was changed in the film.  The real name that Zuckerberg mentioned in his blogging was Jessica Elona, but she has never been interviewed or heard from… ever.  Which, honestly, is a little strange.  It's unknown if she is a real person, or if Zuckerberg and her were actually dating at the time, but Zuckerberg did definitely say it in his blog.

 

#3)  Did Mark Zuckerberg actually create FaceMash.com?

 

Via Wikipedia:

 

Mark Zuckerberg wrote Facemash, the predecessor to Facebook, on October 28, 2003, while attending Harvard as a sophomore. … To accomplish this, Zuckerberg hacked into the protected areas of Harvard’s computer network and copied the houses’ private dormitory ID images. Harvard at that time did not have a student directory with photos and basic information, and the initial site generated 450 visitors and 22,000 photo-views in its first four hours online. … The site was quickly forwarded to several campus group list-servers but was shut down a few days later by the Harvard administration. Zuckerberg was charged by the administration with breach of security, violating copyrights, and violating individual privacy, and faced expulsion, but ultimately the charges were dropped.vZuckerberg expanded on this initial project that semester by creating a social study tool ahead of an art history final by uploading 500 Augustan images to a website, with one image per page along with a comment section. He opened the site up to his classmates and people started sharing their notes.

 

It has also been pointed out that Facemash.com featured bothmen and women, not just a woman to woman comparison as the movie displayed.

 

 

#4)  Did Sean Parker really get arrested with cocaine?

 

Yes, but not in California, and not in the fall of 2004.

 

#5)  Has the Real Mark Zuckerberg seen The Social Network?

 

According to reports, he did attend the mass Facebook "screening" (where Facebook rented out tons of theaters in the area) of the film.

 

#6)  Was that really Bill Gates making a cameo as himself in the film?

 

Nope, the guy's name is Steven Spires and he is apparently the #1 Bill Gates impersonater in the world.  Sure fooled me.

 

 

Click over to Slash Fiilm for more, and a more detailed explanation of the facts behind these answers.
 
Written by Lee C. Jaster on GotchaMovies.com

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