Aaron Sorkin offered his remedy for writer's block: "I like to drive around and listen to music, and I try to start arguments with myself, talking out loud. …
asserted
I → offer → myself
You're making me sound crazy now!"
asserted
me → make → ?
But, he adds, that's where some of the best ideas come from.
asserted
some → add → ideas
"One out of every 50 times, and I'll take those odds any day," he said.
asserted
he → take → odds
The odds paid off when Sorkin was working on "The Social Network."
asserted
Sorkin → pay → Network
Sorkin won an Oscar for screenwriting, and helped define Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg – and an entire industry – in the popular imagination.
asserted
Sorkin → win → imagination
Sixteen years later, Sorkin wonders about the unintended consequences.
"
asserted
Sorkin → wonder → consequences
I remember talking to Jesse Eisenberg, who played Mark Zuckerberg in 'The Social Network,' and how distressed he was that teenage boys were coming up to him; they wanted him to sign business cards that said, 'I'm CEO, bitch,' the way Mark had it," said Sorkin.
asserted
Sorkin → remember → it
"Jesse was saying, 'Wait a second, these people think Mark is a hero in this story and not a tragic hero.'
asserted
Mark → say → story
"Of course, I'm responsible," Sorkin said.
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Sorkin → say → ?
And perhaps that's one reason why Sorkin is revisiting Facebook and Zuckerberg in "The Social Reckoning," out this Friday.
asserted
Sorkin → revisit → Reckoning
Jeremy Strong plays a grown-up Zuckerberg, still awkward but far more powerful.
asserted
Strong → play → Zuckerberg
The film is inspired by the real-life story of Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen (portrayed by Mikey Madison), who in 2021 leaked thousands of internal documents to Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz (played by Jeremy Allen White).
asserted
who → inspire → White
- The Facebook Files (Wall Street Journal)
Haugen is still reflecting on Facebook, and Zuckerberg.
asserted
Haugen → reflect → Facebook
"When I look at Mark, I view a lot of things about his experience of the world as a tragedy," she said.
asserted
she → look → tragedy
"Here's a person who rose to power when he was 19 years old, surrounded by yes-men for his entire adult life.
asserted
he → rise → life
He's been able to immediately isolate himself from consequences for 20 years."
asserted
He → isolate → years
The consequences for the rest of us are depicted in "The Social Reckoning": disinformation, extremism and division.
asserted
consequences → depict → Reckoning
Sorkin says Facebook studied how and why its content was shared.
asserted
content → say → ?
"In 2018, engagement was going down, so they tweaked the algorithm," he said.
asserted
he → go → algorithm
"That is significant because they knew, they had done plenty of research showing that the things most likely to be reshared are anything that makes you angry – rage bait.
asserted
you → know → research
That's what they did, and it worked."
asserted
it → do → what
On set in Vancouver this past July, we saw Sorkin (who's also directing the film) bring his signature rapid-fire dialogue to life.
asserted
who → see → life
"I get very nervous when there aren't four walls," he said.
asserted
he → get → ?
"I've written very few exterior scenes in my life.
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I → write → life
It is mostly people talking in rooms."
asserted
It → talk → rooms
Asked what he listens for when directing, Sorkin said, "Well, you used the word 'listen,' which is what I'm doing.
asserted
I → ask → what
My parents started taking me to see plays starting from when I was very little.
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I → start → plays
And I loved the sound of dialogue.
asserted
I → love → dialogue
It sounded like music to me, just these great actors saying words that are crashing against each other.
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that → sound → other
And I wanted to imitate that sound.
asserted
I → want → sound
And so, when I'm writing, what a line of dialogue sounds like is as important to me as what it means."
asserted
it → write → what
The movie opens just as Sorkin's first script, "A Few Good Men," returns to Broadway.
asserted
script → open → Broadway
Made into the 1992 hit film, it similarly examines another large institution wrestling with the truth.
asserted
it → make → truth
Its most famous line – "You can't handle the truth" – also seems to directly apply to "The Social Reckoning.
asserted
You → handle → Reckoning
"I think the theme is you're not getting the truth in 'The Social Reckoning,'" said Sorkin.
asserted
Sorkin → think → Reckoning
"I think that we can handle the truth, but ... you know what?
asserted
you → think → what
I'm going to take that back.
asserted
I → go → that
Maybe we can't handle the truth, and that the reason why so many people believe things that are flat-out untrue is that the lie is easier to believe.
asserted
lie → handle → things
"For instance, you can tell people 'til you're blue in the face that the undocumented immigrant population commits fewer crimes per capita than citizens; they won't hear that.
asserted
they → tell → that
…and 12 more, not listed.
The Aporia
