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● Plot Summary 2h 01m Drama

The Social Network (2010) — full plot summary

Directed by David Fincher, The Social Network unfolds across 2h 01m of drama. This page covers the story beat by beat. For the ending, see the dedicated ending explained page.

● TL;DR

In 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programmer Mark Zuckerberg begins work on a new concept that eventually turns into the global social network known as Facebook.

The story

The Social Network is a 2010 American biographical drama film directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin. Based on the 2009 book The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich, the film portrays the founding of the social networking website Facebook. It stars Jesse Eisenberg as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, with Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin, Justin Timberlake as Sean Parker, Armie Hammer as Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, and Max Minghella as Divya Narendra. Neither Zuckerberg nor any other Facebook staff were involved with the project, although Saverin was a consultant for Mezrich's book.

Setting & tone

The Social Network is set in United States of America and works primarily in English. Tonally it sits in Drama, drawing on the conventions of each while filtering them through David Fincher's direction.

Why people search for this plot

Search interest in the plot of The Social Network tends to spike around questions about narrative ambiguity, the meaning of specific scenes, and how secondary characters connect to the main arc. Our editorial team tracks those queries and updates this summary as new questions emerge — see the FAQ on the main movie page.

● Spoilers ahead?

Read the ending explained

A scene-by-scene breakdown of the final act, the closing shot, and what it all means.

The Social Network ending explained →