Facebook, the Movie

Is the omnipresence of social network sites about to reach a whole new level? In October, director David Fincher starts shooting a new film called “The Social Network”. The movie deals with social network site Facebook, and aims to bring its foundation into focus. Set up in 2004, the popular site has been the brainchild of Mark Zuckerberg and some of his fellow Harvard students. One of them, Sean Parker, will be impersonated by Justin Timberlake.

Will this mix of old and new media be able to upgrade Facebook's status even more? We have to keep in mind that lately Facebook has known a decrease in its student participation rate. In the last six months, there has been a drop of 20 percent, 15 percent for pupils. Older ones, on the other hand, are apparently becoming one of Facebook's new target audiences: their presence has risen sharply, up to 514 percent.

Putting a teenage idol like Timberlake into action is definitely a move with a lot of potential, but whether the movie will be able to appeal to an ever wider public without losing some of Facebook's earliest enthusiasts remains highly questionable.


Sources:
http://www.deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws/cultuur%2Ben%2Bmedia/film/090923timberlake_facebook
http://www.istrategylabs.com/?s=Facebook&x=0&y=0