Whilst working for Facebook, data scientist Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison) becomes concerned that the site’s algorithm appears to be disproportionately recommending hate groups to users. Feeling unheard, but believing in the value Facebook could bring to society, she reaches out to investigative journalist Jeff Horwitz (Jeremy Allen White) to tell her story.
The Social Reckoning has some big shoes to fill as a sequel of sorts to 2010’s The Social Network, which charted the beginnings of Facebook. Creatively, the only returning artist is writer Aaron Sorkin, who takes on directing duties as well as writing the script. What he delivers is a fascinating and engrossing story that will leave almost everyone but Meta shareholders utterly depressed by the time it finishes.
The story has two halves. The main focus is on Frances and Jeff, and how they uncover the devastating inside information that Facebook knowingly spreads disinformation and engenders hatred. This plays out like All the President’s Men, a film referenced by the movie-buff and analogue-loving Jeff. The interplay between the two leads is compelling, and having one of them be completely tech-incompetent allows for just the right amount of handholding and explanation from the other. The other half shows Mark Zuckerberg (Jeremy Strong) preparing to face questions from the United States Senate, with the help of a crisis counsellor (Wunmi Mosaku), a former investor (Bill Burr) and various aides.
The Social Reckoning ultimately shifts the focus away from Zuckerberg and towards the whistleblower and investigative journalist. Partly, this gives us a propulsive story we can root for, and partly because the Zuckerberg portrayed here is a cold individual focused purely on absolutes and the pursuit of money. He is surrounded by sycophants, whilst those who challenge him seem to prompt little more than confusion. But whilst all the central performances are intriguing, none quite lives up to Jesse Eisenberg in the 2010 film.
The story itself, however, is fascinating, with another brilliant Aaron Sorkin script delivering a bunch of super-intelligent and phenomenally eloquent individuals sparring with each other. It is typically glorious.
In his efforts to make things understandable, Sorkin uses a number of topical events to explain the various ideas at play. The Covid pandemic is used to demonstrate how the algorithm’s choices result in exponential growth, much like a virus. A restaurant scene about a bullied girl explains the personal impact of these systems. And a scene connecting the story to an event that could be considered a low point in American history may prove divisive for some.
Overall, The Social Reckoning is a really enjoyable and immersive watch that uncovers the deeply depressing direction of social media, societal division and the media itself. It only falters by failing to live up to the brilliance of The Social Network.
