“Why would I want to see a movie about Facebook?” I’ve been hearing this a lot, whether its online, from friends or on Bill Maher’s television show. There’s a perception that The Social Network is simply another step in Facebook’s inevitable march toward societal domination. At worst, a periphery marketing tool, and at best, a movie about a website; and who wants to see that?

Sony Pictures’ marketing department isn’t doing the movie any favors, either. After an initial round of teasers that were striking and dark (like the movie itself), the latest trailers are edited to make Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg look like a plucky, stick-it-to-the-man rebel just trying not to let the bastards get him down.

But this isn’t a faux-inspiring story of an underdog triumphing over the odds. That it’s about a website we all know and many of us use, and its founder, who is the world’s youngest billionaire, is just the hook. This is a film about ideas — their genesis, their ownership and their ability to drive a wedge between people — and about the arrogance of youth and intellect. As for serving as an advancement or promotional tool for the website? Well, logging into Facebook after seeing this movie is a little like eating a steak from a cow that you just watched being butchered in a filthy slaughterhouse.