[eggie]

Your experience is exactly like mine was 10 years ago, but ... we didn't have facebook. We had icq, then AIM, and SMS. We could call each other. We went to hang out places and lived solidly in the moment. People were also in constant contact, but maybe spent a bit more time in their thoughts or reading books and magazines than they do now.

IMO nothing has changed except now we have someone trying to convince the world that all communication should go through them. We are human... the talking ape. There isn't anything more basic than communication. Why should we send it through one company? What's impressive is how easily people accept this; they think you're an alien if you say you don't use facebook services. Maybe that's what you mean by philosophy. We need to develop our social immune system or we will be overrun by these robber barons.