The Social Reckoning Review: Aaron Sorkin Goes Scorched Earth on Facebook

When Aaron Sorkin wrote 2010’s The Social Network, Barack Obama was President, Donald Trump was starring in Season 7 of The Apprentice, and social media was still relatively new, alight with the belief that connecting people online would improve society. Sixteen years later, well… We get The Social Reckoning, with Sorkin stepping up to write as well as direct a blistering movie pointing out the corrosive effects of Facebook on society, based on the true story of whistleblower Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison), who stepped forward to reveal secrets Mark Zuckerberg (Jeremy Strong) would prefer not be revealed.The Social Reckoning takes place largely between 2019 and 2021 (yes, the pandemic is a plot point), as Facebook data scientist/smartypants Frances uncovers the ways Facebook is manipulating its users through the content they see in their feeds. When she tries to raise her concerns to her higher-ups, she’s told to let it go, and so when she gets a LinkedIn message from Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz (Jeremy Allen White) looking for dirt on her employers, she begins the process of feeding him information.Those who have closely followed the news around Facebook over the pas...