Facebook on Film and in Libraries

I saw David Fincher’s The Social Network on opening weekend and was immediately enthralled by it. The witty, lightning-quick dialogue, haunting soundtrack, brilliant performances, and refreshing cinematography all captivated me and made the relatively low-budget film my absolute favourite flick of 2010.  The fast-tracked DVD and Blu-ray hit shelves today following a theatrical re-release to more than 600 locations domestically—all coinciding with the mounting awards buzz surrounding the film.¹  Do you think The Social Network will pick up any major awards?

And while a solid script, score, and talent easily explain why the film has grossed over $200 million worldwide (thus quadrupling its budget), there’s also the fascination with Facebook and the fact that the movie essentially represents “an entire generation of young adults reaching for its piece of the American Dream” that contributes to the movie’s popularity.² Did you see the movie? Was it your movie of the year?

With 71% of web users currently on Facebook³, the social networking site is the most visited site in the world. ⁴ It is valued at $50 billion dollars, and co-creator Mark Zuckerberg—named Time Magazine’s Man of the Year—is worth $14 billion.⁵

Clearly, Facebook is huge; it represents an era of fundamentally changed human relationships and communication. And libraries have noticed. According to the 2010 State of America’s Libraries, 11% of the country’s largest libraries (populations greater than 499,000) had a presence on Facebook in 2009, and that statistic is expected to be significantly greater among libraries of all sizes in ALA’s next report.

Simply scanning my RSS reader unveils numerous library blogs discussing Facebook. Stephen’s Lighthouse is always relating interesting stats and infographics on the social networking site to public libraries, and the Other Librarian posted an interesting entry on Facebook and library rapport.

With Facebook’s ever-increasing popularity and the Social Network film expected to perform well this awards season, it’ll be interesting to see how the site will evolve in 2011 and how libraries will put it to use for them.  Does your library have a Facebook? Why or why not? In what ways does your library or will your library use it to reach patrons? How could Facebook be improved for library use?

¹ The Social Network's Worldwide Box Office Gross Earnings Near $200 Million

² True Grit vs. The Social Network Oscar Race Heating Up

³ 71 Percent Of U.S. Web Users Are On Facebook

⁴ Google Names Facebook Most Visited Site

⁵ The $14 billion man: Facebook deal doubles Mark Zuckerberg's worth

Speeches, Gleeks, and Globes: Golden Globe Nominees Announced

Ah, the three famous gifts of the season: frankincense, myrrh, and Golden Globes—er, gold.

The Christmas season traditionally brings the Golden Globe nominations with it, and this year’s Globe hopefuls were announced early Tuesday morning by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

Unsurprisingly, The King’s Speech (seven nominations), The Social Network (six nominations), and The Fighter (six nominations) ruled the motion picture side of the ballot while Glee’s unfathomable popularity put it on top of the television side.

The Best Dramatic Motion Picture category, the closest thing to “top prize” for the Golden Globes, is a crowded field this year. Based on the amount of love that surfaced for Inception upon its arrival, I would have to consider it to be the favourite—but don’t count out any of the other candidates. The King’s Speech’s multiple nominations, Black Swan’s immense buzz, The Social Network’s timely subject matter, and The Fighter’s freshness in voters’ minds could all tip the scales one way or another.

While critics and bloggers alike expected these films to nab nominations, the Best Musical or Comedy Motion Picture category was far more unpredictable and caused some significant head scratching.

It’s not the happenstance of a children’s film (Alice in Wonderland) finding itself in the same category as a movie about burlesque dancers (Burlesque, which didn’t exactly receive award-worthy reviews) that’s boggling, It’s how The Tourist, a thriller about a couple on the lam in Italy, winds up nominated for this award. This film was clearly neither a comedy nor a musical, yet it finds itself nominated as such. Were the Globes really that much in need of more Johnny Depp?

While the Globes can’t seem to get enough Depp, television viewers’ bizarre need for more Glee led to its five nominations (don’t get me wrong, I like the show—but let’s be honest, if someone would have told you two years ago that a musical show about the exploits of a high school glee club set in Lima, Ohio would be the top show of 2010, you probably would have thrown a slushie in their face), including Best Comedy or Musical Television Series. It faces some stiff competition in this category though, as 30 Rock, The Big C, Modern Family, Nurse Jackie, and my personal favourite, The Big Bang Theory, are all in the running.

To view the complete list of nominations, click here, and to shop this year’s nominees, click the collection panel below:


Did the Globes get it right? Who was snubbed? What was nominated that shouldn’t have been? Is The Tourist really a comedy or musical? Let us know your thoughts below!