And the character of Mark Zuckerberg in "The Social Network" is more like me than any movie character I've ever seen. As described in an article on CNBC.com, "...for people like Zuckerberg, it’s more like Asperger’s, that they lack something essential and don’t have an instinctual understanding of human behavior. That’s why he ended up creating algorithms to explain it.”
Elsewhere the article states concerning our generation, "However lacking Zuckerberg may be in the social graces that drive civil society, he embodies the optimism and creativity of millennials."
Social niceties have never been my strong suit.
I majored in science because it seeks to explain things. I, deep down, believe that everything must have an explanation. There's a formula. An answer. Within the first minute of the film, I knew who Zuckerberg was and I could predict his behavior. He was vengeful and cruel sometimes, confused and childlike other times. But he never lost grasp of himself.
One thing that is obvious in the film is that Mark does not understand social customs. He does not see why you should wear a tie to a deposition, or refrain from making glottal noises in meetings with advertising executives. He is often shown as doodling or staring out a window, possibly into the future. He makes statements that seem entirely unrelated. "It's raining," he comments while a lawyer interviews him.
And when Mark realizes that he has committed a social faux pas, he apologizes and changes his attitude so quickly that he seems insincere. He is, in fact, more sincere than most. But he does not see life in terms of relationships or rules of behavior. He sees it as a long line of math problems. These problems exist to be explored, navigated, and solved. When a social blunder occurs, the correct response, in Mark's mind, is to erase the error and continue solving the problem.
I function the same way. When people are not literal, I am confused. It means I have to go back and rewrite that portion of the code. However, once I discover a common theme, I can incorporate it into my social behaviors.
It's evident that the Mark Zuckerberg in the film has no emotional connection to the events that occur around him. His words do not hinge on what is kind or right to say, but rather on what is true. If what I am saying is true, why must I sugar-coat it for you?, he seems to ask.
I often wonder at my lack of emotional connection to the world around me. It's been often that I've thought there was something wrong with me on this level. I've learned to synthesize emotion. I've learned to be passionate. I've learned to be caring and supportive of my friends. But all this is hard work for me. I must remind myself to do this. Deep down, I am still analyzing everything.
/If A occurs, then B is the correct response./ It's becoming more natural now, but it's still work.
I am terribly confused when people ask me how I feel about something. I don't understand the question. How do I feel? Cold. or Hungry. or Tired.
This is also why I could be considered to be either extremely gullible, or very jaded. I think the best of everyone. I assume they are all speaking truth. And when, after months of perceived truth, someone tells me that they have been creating a false impression for me, I am destroyed. All that code must be rewritten. All the /if, then/ statements are faulty because of one mistaken line of code.
On the other hand, when I notice a trend in behavior, I change too much code. /People behaved like A, therefore explanation is B. Corrective response: C./ This makes me seem cynical. As if I don't trust people at all. It makes me seem catty, arrogant, and unstable.
I'm not a genius like Mark Zuckerberg in "The Social Network". But when it comes to navigating the real social structure of the world, I am equally inept.
But then again, my code is still compiling..............
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