Zuckerberg skewered again on screen in ‘The Social Reckoning’

Sixteen years after the release of The Social Network, which portrayed Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg as a power-hungry start-upper, he faces another on-screen depiction in Aaron Sorkin's follow-up film The Social Reckoning. This new movie, set to premiere internationally from Wednesday, explores the darker aspects of Facebook's legacy, including the spread of hate speech, political polarization, and its impact on democracy.

The film is based on the real-life story of Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, portrayed by Mikey Madison, and Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz, played by Jeremy Allen White. The central focus of the drama is Zuckerberg, played by Jeremy Strong, but the film also highlights the heroic efforts of Haugen and Horwitz.

In an interview with AFP, Sorkin revealed that he approached Zuckerberg's character differently in The Social Reckoning. While he aimed to understand Zuckerberg's motives and delve into his psyche in the first film, in this one, the focus is on a single situation where Zuckerberg makes a single argument. This situation is Facebook's refusal to fact-check political advertisements during the 2020 US elections, which ultimately led to President Donald Trump contesting the results and his supporters storming the Capitol.

The film aims to confront Zuckerberg with the consequences of his actions by the end of the narrative.