Jesse Eisenberg has slammed Mark Zuckerberg after playing him in The Social Network, criticizing his recent decisions with Meta’s social media platforms. Eisenberg starred as Zuckerberg in 2010 on the cast of The Social Network, receiving an Oscar nomination for his performance. Recently, however, the social media pioneer has made sweeping changes to Facebook and Instagram’s content policies. On January 7, 2025, he announced fact-checking on both platforms would be replaced with community notes, citing too much political bias and censorship of ideas in their previous system.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today, (via Variety), Eisenberg explained that he is distancing himself from Zuckerberg despite portraying him in The Social Network. The actor explained he hasn’t been following Zuckerberg’s “life trajectory, partly because I don’t want to think of myself as ᴀssociated with somebody like that.” Check out what he had to say below:
It’s not like I played a great golfer or something and now people think I’m a great golfer. It’s like this guy that’s doing things that are problematic — taking away fact-checking and safety concerns, making people who are already threatened in this world more threatened.
His decision stems from his recent changes at Meta with fact-checking, believing the alterations are threatening to vulnerable groups of people who could be targeted. He criticized Zuckerberg for “[currying] favor” with people who have hateful ideas. He also said he believes what he believes “not as a person who played [him] in a movie,” but instead expressing worry about his wife Anna Strout’s students in her disability justice classes. See more of what Eisenberg had to say below:
I’m concerned just as a person who reads a newspaper. I don’t think about, ‘Oh, I played the guy in the movie and therefore…’ It’s just, I’m a human being and you read these things and these people have billions upon billions of dollars, more money than any human person has ever amᴀssed. And what are they doing with it? Oh, they’re doing it to curry favor with somebody who’s preaching hateful things.
What Eisenberg’s Statement Says About His Criticism Of Zuckerberg
He Believes The Social Media Changes Are Dangerous
Zuckerberg’s changes to his Meta platforms are similar to how Elon Musk currently operates X, with suggested community notes giving context to various posts. These changes were accompanied by Zuckerberg meeting with President Donald Trump before his inauguration, with his company donating $1 million to his inaugural fund. The Facebook and Instagram owner later attended said inauguration. With Musk having endorsed Trump during the election, it appears all major social media platforms in the US are aligning with the new President’s vision.
While Eisenberg’s A Real Pain is up for Oscar nominations as his acting career continues, his concerns are universal, no matter his position in the world. The alteration to Meta’s fact-checking systems means expert analysis will be on the same level as less informed ideas, potentially causing more unchecked disinformation to permeate across both platforms. Even though The Social Network is considered one of Eisenberg’s best roles, it’s clear he sees these potential consequences as a major risk for the platform, and sees Zuckerberg’s alignment with Trump as a dangerous precedent being set.
Our Take On Eisenberg Criticizing Zuckerberg
His Viewpoint Makes Sense Given Meta’s New Angle
While Meta’s changes will allow for varied viewpoints to propagate equally on their platforms, Eisenberg’s concern makes sense given how easily a platform without proper fact-checking can be abused. Without systems in place that fight disinformation, Facebook and Instagram can be subject to plenty of false ideas spreading to users, who would be unaware of how untrue they really are. He may have portrayed Zuckerberg in The Social Network, but it’s clear the actor has a very different vision than the real figure.
Source: Today/BBC Radio 4 (via Variety)
