[ams6110]

I've also gone 20+ years not seeing friends from high school and college. I suppose I could be more informed about their lives, and they about mine, if I were sharing that stuff on Facebook. But I also think that if any of us really cared, we'd take the time to make a call or send an email every once in a while. A few of us do, but mostly we don't. If that effort is too much, how important is the friendship?

Facebook to me feels like those xeroxed summary-of-my-fantastic-year letters that some people stick in their Christmas cards. Mildly interesting, maybe, but also kind of tacky and pretty impersonal and low effort.

[jedberg]

I interact with at least 100 people on Facebook in a month. I suppose I could switch the time I spend on FB with phone calls, except that would require us to be available at the same time, and also, I use FB in very short bursts between my regular life. I'd be making a bunch of one and two minute phone calls.

The asynchronicity of the service is what enables me to keep in touch with so many friends.

[dagw]

But I also think that if any of us really cared, we'd take the time to make a call or send an email every once in a while

The secondary role Facebook fills for me is as an address book with up to date contact info for all these people.