The Albany Gazette - In 'The Social Reckoning,' Jeremy Allen White takes on Facebook's 'frightening' ambition

The actor is starring alongside the Oscar-winning Mikey Madison in "The Social Reckoning," the drama directed and written by Aaron Sorkin that delves into the inner workings of Facebook.

The film focuses on the investigation that led to "The Facebook Files," a trove of statements and data leaked in 2021.

The preceding probe into the social network's practices was spearheaded by the then-Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz (White) with assistance from whistleblower Frances Haugen (Madison).

"I've got a lot of fears about, like, what these companies want ultimately," White said in an interview with AFP.

"They want all of our time. They want all our attention. They want all of our engagement. They want the way we communicate to be with their tools," he continued.

The American TV and film star said it's "a frightening concept that we don't know where the ceiling is here. You know, they have billions and trillions of dollars. What else?"

"The Social Reckoning" serves as a sequel of sorts to 2010's "The Social Network," Sorkin's acclaimed film that chronicled Facebook's origins.

That movie starring Jesse Eisenberg centered on Mark Zuckerberg, a student who struggled socially and eventually created his own online ecosystem for making friends -- what would become Facebook.

For White, who opened an account on the platform during high school, "it seemed innocent enough, I guess, at the time."

But the 35-year-old actor recalls witnessing the stress and insecurities experienced by friends over who had the most followers, or who followed who on social media.

"Now it's kind of like how we value everything in this world," he said.

Madison, 27, opted out of social media, a stance she still maintains today.

The actor, who scored an Academy Award for her starring role in the hit film "Anora," said she shares "a lot of the same sensibilities" and concerns voiced by White.

- 'Very upsetting' -

"The Social Reckoning" portrays Zuckerberg as an adult, a role played by Jeremy Strong.

Still socially awkward, the rendition of Zuckerberg is now one of a powerful, globally known figure, whose platform generates billions of dollars and is used by millions of people.

The film shows how, according to the investigations, company practices contributed to the radicalization of some users.

In the wake of the public revelations, the parent firm rebranded as Meta.

The probe's revelations sparked lawsuits that in some cases sought compensation running into the millions.

But White emphasized that for companies handling billions in revenue, "the sums are kind of irrelevant."

He said he hopes the film will "get people to speak about the damages that can be caused by companies like Facebook."

"I hope people ask their friends, their family members, ask themselves about their own relationship to social media platforms," he said, including in regards to information sources and mental health implications.

Wunmi Mosaku -- who plays a fictionalized Zuckerberg advisor -- holds similar expectations for the film, which arrives in theaters Friday.

"Social media is very much responsible for the climate that we're in and the environment that we're raising our children in," Mosaku told AFP.

The 40-year-old actress said the film raises questions that demand answers.

"What are the governments going to do? Who are we beholden to? Are we just going to keep going on this journey that the billionaires are pulling us along, or are we going to put regulation in place?" Mosaku said.

"Who are we allowing to feed into us and manipulate what media we consume, which bubbles we're in?" she continued.

"It's very upsetting."

(B.Ramirez--TAG)