Assault on the Capitol: Aaron Sorkin prepares a film on the responsibility of Facebook

Aaron Sorkin, Oscar-winning screenwriter for The Social Network, is preparing a new film on Facebook, which will explore the platform's responsibility in the storming of the Capitol in the United States on January 6, 2021. With The Social Network (2010), Aaron Sorkin had describes the early years of Facebook, providing an unflattering portrait of its boss, Mark Zuckerberg.

He now intends to address the role played by the social network in the growing polarization of American society with its most significant episode in recent history: the insurrection of hundreds of people in Washington, on January 6, 2021, motivated by lies by Donald Trump on the results of the presidential election and the influence of the QAnon conspiracy movement.

“I’m going to write about this. I blame Facebook for January 6, 2021,” the screenwriter told The Town podcast this week. He accused Mark Zuckerberg of prioritizing the growth of the platform to the detriment of its integrity, despite his immense personal fortune. “Facebook has, among other things, modified its algorithm to promote the most confrontational content possible, because this is what increases engagement” of users, he recalled.

Asked to clarify the responsibility borne by Facebook in the American insurrection of January 6, the screenwriter refused to reveal more. “You’re going to have to buy a movie ticket,” he smiled. Having become essential in the dissemination of information, the major social networks are regularly accused of not sufficiently moderating their content and of allowing certain conspiracy theories to proliferate, but also of exercising excessive censorship.

The film The Social Network, directed by David Fincher, was a huge commercial and critical success: it was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture. He won three statuettes, including best adapted screenplay for Aaron Sorkin. The screenwriter had already mentioned the idea of ​​a “sequel”, provided that David Fincher agreed to return as director. Last year, the director told the Guardian that he had discussed the project with Sorkin, but warned that approaching Facebook again would open "a can of worms."