When it comes to the question of whether film or book versions of something are better, I am probably part of the majority when I say I usually prefer the book. With The Social Network however, it isn’t as easy a choice as it usually would be. The book version is made up of interviews and discussions with many people associated with setting up Facebook, most notably its co-founder Eduardo Saverin. What puts the book at a huge handicap however, is that it states from the beginning that the main man behind Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, refused to be interviewed or have anything to do with the book. This instantly makes the book one sided, and this shows with the end product, where we get to hear the Saverin part of the story, but would be far more interested in the Zuckerberg side.
The film version of The Social Network has an advantage because of the wider liberties that a film is allowed to take than a book. While the story is loosely based on the book, it also included fictional elements, giving the filmmakers the opportunity to include things in the film that may never have happened in real life. And despite how unsympathetic Zuckerberg comes across in the film The Social Network, there is no doubt that he is more interesting than Saverin. There is also the fact that The Social Network was one of the best films I saw in 2010, while I only read the book version this year, and wasn’t overly impressed with how gripping, informative or well written it was. It’s a bad sign for a book when the film version of it is better written, so if you are undecided between reading the book or seeing the film, I have to say watch the film.
Watch The Social Network
