Analytical paper 2

Student Tutor Course Date The Social Network (2010) Through the Lenses of Eclectic Methodology The Social Network is among the most iconic films of the past decades considering the insight that it instilled into the global transformation that the world has seen through technological advancements. Directed by David Fincher, the film explores the chronicles surrounding the founding of the social media platform, Facebook. A superficial analysis of The Social Network reveals the complexity of starting a revolutionary company in Silicon Valley. It also showcases the inputs of themes such as ambition and betrayal in the attempts to achieve success. However, a detailed understanding of The Social Network is barely reached because viewers and critics mostly focus on the emotional and thematic contents of the film. In this paper, The Social Network is analyzed in detail through the lenses of the eclectic methodology. Using the eclectic methodology, one is accorded the freedom to analyze a film from various techniques and approaches that collectively stimulate a customized understanding of the subject. The value of eclectic methodology in analyzing films is marked by its flexibility, diversity, purpose, and scope allowing for a unique understanding of films from individualistic perspectives. Subjecting The Social Network through analysis via the tenets of eclectic methodology opens an avenue to understand the film in its key elements that include its historical and cultural context, syntax, audio-visual conformations, musical and filmic codes, textual analysis, as well as the filmic world of the work. Historical and Cultural Context The principal basis of understanding The Social Network is through its attached historical and cultural context. The film is set in the early 2000s at the onset of the social media boom. To showcase the value of this setting, Fincher indicates that the events of the film had a profound impact on the influence that social media had in changing human trajectories in the 21st century. At the time when the film was set, Silicon Valley was at the peak of the technology boom. As such, most individuals and companies needed to partake in the rapid advancements of technology. The other persuading prospects at the time were the emergence of Web 2.0 platforms as well as the democratization of internet access. The above technological changes in technology set a platform on which individuals could innovate with the motive of scaling their services globally. As implied in the film, the creators of Facebook understood that the opportunity that they had to develop a social media platform could be the anchor of future changes in global architecture. There are notable historical undertones that bear significance to the nature and structure of The Social Network. Primarily, the early 2000s technology boom played a vital role in defining the scope of this film. The film reflects the exclusive entrepreneurial frenzy of Silicon Valley in the early days of social media. It is this boom that set the stage for the emergence of Facebook as a transformative force. Partly, the technology boom era is viewed in this film as one that came with increased venture capital investments, the emergence of college dropouts as founders of technology giants, and a shifted focus toward disruptive innovation. The second historical aspect of this film is the rise of Facebook. The directors chronicled the creation of Facebook followed by the meteoric rise of the technology giant. As soon as Facebook emerged, the film shows how there was a sudden shift in the socio-political architecture of different people. Aspects such as how people communicate, form relationships or perceive privacy changed with the emergence of Facebook. Still, the film set a foundation for global interconnectedness for a generation that was fast exploring the limits of democratic internet access and Web 2.0 developments. The final historical factor that defined the architecture of The Social Network was the linked legal and ethical implications. The founding of Facebook was woven into a range of legal issues. Superficially, the multiple lawsuits filed in the film are largely based on the competitiveness and pursuit of personal ambitions among the founders. However, a more insightful assessment of the lawsuits foreshadows the future of social media networking and its compliance with the law. Since its founding, Facebook has been marked with challenges surrounding the need to protect the privacy of their users as well as intellectual rights among others. Amidst the legal challenges were also aspects of ethical implications. The film showcases instances of battles surrounding intellectual property. The commitments by the founders not to compromise and their determination to have all the benefits of this technology outline the costs of ambition in the digital age. Finally, The Social Network comes with a unique cultural context that compliments the plot and the historical relevance. One of the most notable cultural context factors of the film is its manifestation of the zeitgeist of digital connectivity. Upon the founding of Facebook, societal norms and individual identities changed in aspects like “friending”. Facebook attracted a duality that even the founders did not anticipate. That is, the platform morphed into a microcosm of human interaction where people became both connected and alienated at the same time. The second notable cultural context factor in this film is the profound moral ambiguity that it propels. The Social Network presents Mark Zuckerberg as an anti-hero. The portrayal of Zuckerberg insightfully showcases the moral complexity of technological visionaries. Zuckerberg is portrayed as an extension of the Silicon Valley culture where the need to move fast and invent overshadows moral factors like responsibility and integrity. Ultimately, the film outlines the impact of social media growth on privacy and business as a key element of the cultural context. The dramatization of the founding of Facebook serves as a precursor to the future debates about data privacy (Reich193). Also, the drama showcases the onset of surveillance capitalism amidst the involvement of technology companies in societal values and democratic processes. Overall, the historical and cultural contexts of The Social Network set the ground for an advanced understanding of the factors surrounding its plot, characterization, music, and thematic intent. Syntax (Musical/Filmic Structure) The Social Network understands the value of a seamless integration of musical filmic structure in an iconic piece. In the film, syntax is a reflection of a distinctive balance between the narrative and the film’s musical elements. With such an insightful balance, The Social Network has achieved an enhanced thematic and emotional depth. One of the most notable filmic structure elements in The Social...