The Social Network vs. Catfish – How Social Media Has Affected Our Lives

I find it interesting that at the same time as Facebook’s dramatic film The Social Network is released, the documentary Catfish is also hitting theatres.

The Social Network, a film by acclaimed director David Fincher (of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button fame) was written by four time Emmy award winner Aaron Sorkin.  It reveals the severe effects of immediate success and fame on a group of college students through the start-up of Facebook.

“The themes of the movie are as old as storytelling itself: loyalty, friendship, power, money, envy, social status, jealousy,” says Sorkin in an interview with Telegraph (UK).

Catfish, on the other hand, is a documentary filmed by Ariel Schuman where he follows his brother Nev on a roadtrip to find the girl he fell in love with over Facebook.

The exhilarating documentary easily justifies concerns over privacy settings on Facebook.

“You’ve got to protect yourself,” said Schulman. “Everyone has different intentions.”

Privacy isn’t Facebook’s only downfall. Controversy over bans from certain countries and even pedophile threats have plagued Facebook’s track record.

So which side should we be buying?

All I know is that both the glamorous drama and the thrilling documentary stories highlight connections to Facebook that have resulted in life-changing experiences.