When he defends one insulting comment as simply “stating a fact,” he reflects the kind of unsympathetic behavior wrongfully equated with rationality across the internet today. She eventually calls him “exhausting,” a feeling shared by the audience as he picks apart every word she says.

This masterful scene uses fast-paced overlapping dialogue to establish Mark’s motivations and highlight his flaws, as Erica’s well-meaning attempts to keep up with his scattered, self-centered thoughts are brought to a standstill by his insensitivity and social ineptitude.

The Social Network’s defining scene occurs between Mark ( Jesse Eisenberg) and Erica ( Rooney Mara) in its opening minutes. In addition to chronicling the start of Facebook itself, The Social Network provided an origin story for the toxic behavior that has become commonplace on that website and the internet in general. Yet as we soon found out, their film isn’t just about how a Harvard student made billions from a groundbreaking social media platform - nor is it just about the legal disputes in the wake of its success. In 2010, it seemed strange to pair director David Fincher with screenwriter Aaron Sorkin to tell the origin story of Facebook and its co-founder, Mark Zuckerberg. Keep up as we look back at the best, worst, and otherwise interesting movies and shows of the 2010s.

This guest essay about The Social Network is part of our Decade Rewind.

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