The facebook Disconnect

While reading about interpretations of law, which was far more engaging than I imagined, I got distracted by facebook. On some basic level, facebook has revolutionized how people stay in touch with one another. A phone call, email, even snailmail requires some sort of active intent to get in contact with another party.

Not facebook. facebook allows for people to passively know what's going on with everyone ever. It's almost unnerving sometimes.

Here I am: sitting at my desk, holding a highlighter and watching some awful music video on MTVu, and I haven't much spoken to any of my friends in two weeks. But do I really feel like I've missed anything?

Nope. Agnes posts pictures. Pat sends me anti-Obama links. People are moving from sea to shining sea.

When I left for college six years ago, I devoted a disgusting amount of time to keeping in touch with all my friends. I was on the phone for hours. I sent emails. Hell, I even mailed letters! Such was my commitment to keeping my friendships going.

This time? Psh, I check a facebook status to confirm a friend's continued existence and that's good enough for me. I've moved around enough now that any sort of static expectation of being to hang out with my buds "forever" isn't even seriously entertained by me anymore. Add facebook to the equation, and I don't even need to actively try to determine if my friends are alive and well...