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An analysis of social mobility as reflected in the character of Mark Zuckerberg in the movie 'The Social Network'. The essay uses Tischler's concept of social mobility and Rossides' system of class stratification to identify Mark as a middle-middle class individual who through hard work and achievement, managed to change his social class and join the upper class.
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In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement For S-1 Degree in American Cultural Studies In English Department, Faculty of Humanities Diponegoro University Submitted by: Lina Karlinda 13020114120022
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The writer states truthfully that this project is compiled by her without taking the results from other research in any university, in S-1, S-2, and S-3 degree and in diploma. In addition, the writer ascertains that she does not take the material from other publications or someone’s work except for the references mentioned in bibliography. Semarang, May 2018 Lina Karlinda
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Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever (Mahatma Gandhi) No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path (Buddha) This extended essay is dedicated to my beloved family.
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TITLE........................................................................................................................ i APPROVAL ............................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. VALIDATION ......................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. MOTTO AND DEDICATION.................................................................................. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ....................................................................................... vi TABLE OF CONTENT…………………….………………………………………viii LIST OF PICTURES ............................................................................................... ix ABSTRAK ............................................................................................................... 1
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The Social Network merupakan sebuah film biografi tentang Mark Zuckerberg yang diadaptasi dari buku The Accidental Billionaire oleh Ben Mezrich. Film ini sendiri bercerita tentang mahasiswa dari Universitas Harvard, Mark Zuckerberg yang kemudian menciptakan sebuah media sosial bernama Facebook. Dalam penemuan dan pengembangan ide Facebook, Mark mengalami masalah dan konflik. Penulis akan fokus bagaimana Mark merepresentasikan mobilitas sosial dalam mengubah kelas sosialnya ke kelas sosial tertinggi. Penelitian ini menggunakan konsep mobilitas sosial oleh Henry L. Tischler dan sistem stratifikasi kelas oleh Rossides. Metode pengumpulan data yang digunakan adalah penelitian pustaka, sedangkan metode pendekatan menggunakan pendekatan sosiologi sastra dalam menganalisis karya sastra. Sementara itu, tujuan penelitian adalah untuk menunjukkan Mark sebagai representasi dari mobilitas sosial. Berdasarkan analisis sistem kelas stratifikasi sosial, Mark dapat di identifikasi ke dalam kelas sosial middle-middle class, ketika ia menyatakan secara tidak langsung bahwa ia berusaha memiliki kehidupan yang baik dengan mencoba bergabung dalam kelompok ekslusif di Universitas Harvard. Middle-middle Class merupakan sebuah kelas sosial dengan orang-orang yang memiliki sedikit pengaruh sosial atau ekonomi yang bekerja keras demi perbaikan hidup yang lebih baik. Mark berhasil mengembangkan Facebook, semula dari ide yang dikembangkan dengan bantuan modal dari temannya, Eduardo Saverinm Mark meraih kesuksesan dengan berkembang pesatnya Facebook diiringi dengan nilai saham yang semakin tinggi, sehingga ia yang semula berada dikelas middle-middle class, berubah drastis dengan melakukan mobilitas sosial ke kelas yang lebih tinggi yakni upper class. Kata kunci: middle-middle class, upper-class, mobilitas sosial, sistem stratifikasi sosial.
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1.1. Background of the Study Movie as the media of literature can reflect human’s life in some aspects, such as social, political, economic, cultural, etc. It can represent the real condition of social life in a society, such as social mobility. Social mobility does exist in society and it is a form of dynamism in social structure. Social mobility has a close relationship with the community, because the perpetrators of social mobility are the people who live in it. Sorokin (1959:133) in his book Social and Cultural Mobility argues that social mobility is a shifting of an individual or a group in a social position in society. Social mobility can be in a form of upward or downward in social position of individual in a group or the whole group. Sorokin divides three social class stratification which are economic, political, and occupation stratification. It can be seen that social mobility is about transition of social classes or position. The Social Network movie is an adaptation film of Ben Mezrich’s book The Accidental Billionaires. It is one of the American biopic (or biographical motion picture) directed by David Fincher in 2010. It dramatizes the life of present figure, Mark Zuckerberg in creating the networking site, Facebook. When he is a student
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A social class consists of a category of people who share similar opportunities, similar economic and vocational positions, similar lifestyles, and similar attitudes and behaviors. A society that has several social classes and permits social mobility is based on a class system of stratification. (Tischler, 2010:175) Social mobility relates to system class of stratification. It happens because there is a social class system in society. Social mobility can be analyzed from individual or group’s movement through its social position. It is important to analyze individual or group’s social class to analyze the existence of social mobility. Tischler (2010:175) in Introduction to Sociology argues that social mobility is the movement of individual or group to the higher-level of social class stratification in society. Social mobility exists because a class of society appreciates an achievement and hardworking of individual or group in purpose of getting a better life to mobile from one social class to higher-level of social class (2010:174). Based on Census Bureau as quoted by Tischler (2010,176), it is portrayed social classes stratification in the United States: Table 1. Social classes in the United States Class Occupation Education Children’s Education Upper class Corporate Liberal arts College and post
5 ownership; upper- echelon politics; honorific positions in government and the arts. education at elite school college Upper—middle class Professional and technical fields; managers; officials; proprietors College and graduate training College and graduate training Middle-middle class Clerical and sales positions; small business, semiprofessionals; farmers High school; some college Option of college Lower-middle class Skilled and semiskilled maual labor; craftspeople; foremen; nonfarm workers Grade school; some or all of high school High school’; vocational school Lower class Unskilled labor and service work; private house hold work and farm labor Grade school Little interest in education; high school dropouts Source: Adapted from statistical Abstract of the United States: 1981, U.S. Bureau of the Census, (Washington, DC: U.S Government Printing Office, 1981.) Here are the social classes as quoted by Tischler (2010,176) that will be used to analyze Mark social class. There are five social classes:
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Methods of the study are divided into two, method of research and method of approach. Method of research applied is library research by using The Social Network movie as the material object or primary data. The writer finds some data that support the analysis and related to the topic of the research by reading sources from book, article, etc (Semi, 1993:8). Moreover, the method of approach applies sociology of literature. According to X.J Kennedy and Dana Gioia (2007) on their book Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, it critiques the condition of society in many perspectives, especially in cultural, economic and political perspectives inside a literature. The writer uses Tischler’s concept of social mobility by using social class stratification to analyze Mark’s representation of social mobility.
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4.1. Analysis of Mark Zuckerberg’s Social Class The analysis of social class will relate to the character’s action and speech in the scenes of the movie. According to Tischler’s concepts of social mobility (see page 6), it is important to analyze individual or group’s social class to know the representation of social mobility. Here is the first proof: MARK: “We’re gonna need a little start-up cash to rent the servers and get it online.” EDUARDO: “So that was why.” EDUARDO’S LAWYER: “did he offer terms?” EDUARDO: “Yes” MARK: “We’ll split it, 70/30. 70 for me, 30, for you for putting up the $1, and for handling everything on the business end. You’re CFO.” (The Social Network, 00:26:43- 00:28:20) Picture 1 (The Social Network, 00:28:03) Picture 2 (The Social Network, 00:27:56) Picture 3 (The Social Network, 00:28:10)
10 From the scenes above, it clearly can be seen that he has an economic problem in running his idea of Facebook. He is not from wealth family, because he has no financial capital starting Facebook. He needs the funds from Eduardo, his friends. When he needs money to develop Facebook, he just asks it to Eduardo. Without the money, he cannot get a better life after Facebook success. Almost all of the funds when Facebook firstly created are totally from Eduardo. Beside Mark’s economical problem in developing Facebook, he implicitly says that he want to get a better life by joining the exclusive club. It can be seen from the beginning of the movie, Mark talks to his girlfriend saying that he want to join the Porc Club or he called it with the Final Club, he argues that the club is the exclusive one in the Harvard University. If he gets in the club, he will meet people who would not normally to meet. ERICA: “you’re obsessed with finals clubs” MARK: “I’m just saying I need to do something substantial in order to get the attention of the clubs” ERICA: “Why?” MARK: “Because they’re exclusive. And fun, and they lead to a better life. (The Social Network (2010), 00:22:39- 00:23:42)
11 Picture 7 (The Social Network, 00:03:29) Picture 8 (The Social Network, 00:03:01) Picture 9 ( The Social Network, 00:03:04) It can be seen clearly, Mark has desire to join the Porc, the Porcellian, one of the exclusive club in Harvard University. Mark implicitly expresses his feeling that he has not reached a better life. Meanwhile, Erica, his girlfriend, says that Mark is too obsessed with the Final club. The point is that Mark believes that the Porc or the Final club leads him to get a better life. Mark is an ordinary people who has desire to come join the club, but he cannot yet. Then, he comes up with an idea of creating Facebook. He needs the capital from his friend, who has ability to earn money. According to the Rossides’ social class stratification, Mark can be defined as Middle-Middle class (see page 5), who has to struggle to develop Facebook in getting better life.
