Psychology Today's Bigotry: Facebook gives you Aspergers

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The Social Network, Aspergers, and Your Brain

Unbelievable.

First of all, no.

Mark Zuckerburg, as portrayed in the film The Social Network, does not have Aspergers.

He is obsessed with social status and the girl who rejects him. He shows no passion for the actual work of building Facebook-- he is interested only in the rewards it will reap for him. He is rude, but socially extremely adroit. He is better at figuring out people's motives than anyone else in the movie.

In case you think Norman Holland, the bigot who wrote this article, has any clue aboiut what autism is, he says he thinks Zuckerberg is a savant.

I am angry that Psychology Today would publish a piece which relies on stereotypes, but much worse is the fearmongering Holland does:

If Facebook was created by someone with Aspergers, maybe it will re-program the brains of everyone who uses it:

The stuff about Facebook changing your brain is BS, but I don't doubt that Zuckerburg is an Aspie.

Real Zuckerberg very likely is an Aspie; the Zuckerberg in the movie is just rude.

I don't understand this. I don't see any of us creating a social network where having a million friends is the norm and goal, and if we did create Facebook, it would be much less shallow and twice as awesome than what it really is. (I would get rid of the useless games and create my own games on there, as well as getting rid of the "friending" concept. Friends mean meaningful relationships, not shallow NT values of popularity and status. It's always been a problem from what I've read. In England, people married because of wealth, and we still do that!)

If

What I saw in The Social Network was someone who was never overwhelmed by a situation. Who never experienced anxiety. Who had no difficulty reading or responding to social cues. Who was Machiavellian rather Aspergian.

Did you see the movie? If so, what were the moments in it that made you think,
"Wow-- that guy has Aspergers?"

Cool-- thanks for the response. I did not see someone being socially awkward-- I saw someone moving with great smoothness through a series of very complex situations. The only moment he showed any excitement over the building of Facebook was when he added the "in a relationship" feature. I never saw him being interested in the Website. He certainly wasn't disinterested in money-- the whole thing was structured aorund the lawsuits and how fictional Zuckerberg screwed his friends out of their shares in the company. What he was not willing to do was undervalue the company by monetizing too early. Not the same thing.

The other things you mention seem to be much more true of the real Zuckerberg than of the guy in the movie.

Ugh, yeah, because it's all social stuff, right? Does he show signs of executive dysfunction? Shutdowns, meltdowns? Does he stim? Sensory issues? Can't wear certain things, eat other things, smells certain things, or freaked out by vacuum cleaners? Eye contact, voice too loud/soft/oddly intoned? I didn't see the movie, but I'm guessing that character showed none of those. "Jerk" who likes Facebook does not equal AS.

Not that I have ever met the man, but I seriously doubt he has AS.

The truth of the matter is, what he did in creating Facebook, which entails not only creating the website, but all of the interactions and networking that went on to fund the development of the company, requires social skills which are likely beyond even the most social adept person with AS, UNLESS the people they were working with were well aware the person had AS and were sympathetic for that.

But I doubt this was the case with MZ.

The one common factor among those who head successful startups is they are very socially adept. I've met many of these people and the people who funded them, and though they are technies they do not have AS.

They're as social as you get. The media just has a misperception that technologically inclined and innovative = Asperger's Syndrome.

I suppose that should be taken as a bit of a compliment....but for some reason, it doesn't come off that way because those of us who really have AS are sitting at home, probably low on money, usually with not much to show for our ideas.

I'm guessing that this is part of the way of thinking, regarding a more socially isolated society. That children are not playing outside as much, more have connected online through facebook than hanging out and phone calls, etc..., these of which do appear to be somewhat associated with some traits of Asperger's. Of course, it's still to a much different degree.

I think it's more "ignorance" than "bigotry"... hen again, bigotry is ignorance anyways.

Sorry, I call BS. I was diagnosed before Myspace was around, and didn't start using the internet until the early 00's, and the only major sites I frequented was Wrongplanet and Mugglenet. I didn't even start Facebook until my last year in high school, and even then it took my mother to get me onto the site. Complete and utter BS. And trust me, I know what BS looks like, I live in Wyoming.