In an op-ed for the UK publication the Daily Mail, Harvard Law School Professor Lawrence Lessig takes a look at the recently-released film “The Social Network” – which he calls an “intelligent, beautiful and compelling film” – and weighs it against the real story of founder Mark Zuckerberg’s popular Internet platform.
While Lessig lauds the film for its brilliance, he also says that it misses the most significant point: That the openness and neutrality of the Internet are what allowed Facebook to flourish in the first place. According to Lessig, what’s important is that “Zuckerberg’s genius could be embraced by half a billion people within six years of its first being launched, without needing to ask anyone’s permission.”
Lessig is the director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard. His most recent publications include “Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in a Hybrid Economy” (Penguin Press 2008) and “Code Version 2.0” (Basic Books 2006).