‘The Social Reckoning’ Review: Sorkin Explores Social Media’s Dark Side

Director and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin's latest film, "The Social Reckoning," critically examines the impact of social media, focusing on the story of former Facebook employee Frances Haugen.

The film, a spiritual successor to Sorkin's 2010 "The Social Network," revisits the origins of Facebook. While the original portrayed Mark Zuckerberg, played by Jesse Eisenberg, as a brilliant if socially awkward tech prodigy, "The Social Reckoning" presents a darker depiction of the platform's evolution.

Jeremy Strong stars as Zuckerberg in this iteration, portraying him as a sociopath seemingly complicit in the transformation of Facebook and other Meta platforms into "malignant" forces. The narrative is driven by the true account of Frances Haugen, played by Mikey Madison. Haugen, an idealistic data scientist, initially joined Facebook with a belief in its mission to connect people but grew to realize the platform's insidious and sinister methods.

The film highlights Haugen's discovery of alarming statistics, including that 64% of users who joined extremist groups on Facebook were directed there by the platform's own algorithms. This progression, the film implies, contributed to events such as the January 6, 2021 Capitol incident.

"The Social Reckoning" chronicles Haugen's journey as she becomes a whistleblower, providing her evidence to Jeff Horwitz, an investigative reporter for The Wall Street Journal, played by Jeremy Allen White.

Sorkin, who also directed, employs a fast-paced timeline that the review suggests becomes difficult to follow. The film's structure and Sorkin's tendency to create idealistic, quick-witted protagonists are noted as potential drawbacks, drawing parallels to his earlier work like "The West Wing" and attempts to emulate "All The President's Men."

Despite these criticisms, the film is described as a compelling modern morality tale for those concerned about the negative impacts of social media. "The Social Reckoning" is scheduled for release in UK cinemas on October 9.