Aaron Sorkin's 'The Social Reckoning' probes Facebook's role in extremism

Key facts

• Aaron Sorkin's new film "The Social Reckoning" will be released on October 9.
• The film explores Facebook's role in the rise of extremism and division.
• It examines events leading up to the 2020 presidential election and the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
• The movie centers on the partnership between journalist Jeff Horwitz and whistleblower Frances Haugen.
• Jeremy Strong plays Mark Zuckerberg in the film.
• Sony Pictures conducted an extensive fact-checking process for the movie.

Aaron Sorkin's new film, "The Social Reckoning," is set to be released on October 9 by Sony Pictures. The movie delves into Facebook's alleged role in fostering extremism and societal division, particularly in the period leading up to the 2020 US presidential election and the subsequent January 6th Capitol riot. Sorkin, who also wrote the screenplay, has stated that while he doesn't consider the film a direct sequel to "The Social Network," it revisits themes related to Facebook and features a character from the earlier film, albeit played by a different actor.

The narrative focuses on the collaboration between journalist Jeff Horwitz and Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen. Haugen's leak of internal documents to The Wall Street Journal exposed aspects of what Facebook knew about the negative impacts of its platforms. Sorkin views Mark Zuckerberg not as a villain but as an antihero, stating his writing process involves presenting characters as if they are making their case to a higher power.

Jeremy Strong portrays Zuckerberg in "The Social Reckoning." Sorkin noted that Strong actively defended Zuckerberg's character throughout the production, even contacting Zuckerberg himself, a fact Sorkin was unaware of until later. Strong reportedly stayed in character during filming, influencing his interactions with other cast members. The film underwent an extensive fact-checking process, with Sorkin noting the irony of a movie about Facebook being subjected to such scrutiny, especially after receiving legal letters from Meta, Facebook's parent company.