The convenience of Facebook

I was just reading the lovely Rachel Hills' article about Facebook and friendship. It reminded me that I sometimes get annoyed with friends that aren't on Facebook, and even more annoyed with friends that aren't on email because it requires effort to keep in touch. I would say that in most cases that friendship has lapsed somewhat if I am unable to keep in touch online. I rationalise it by saying that if Facebook wasn't around then I would be in touch with even less people. Facebook has facilitated a level of contact with people that I otherwise wouldn't have made the effort with but that I enjoy hearing/seeing what they are up to. The casual contact with a larger group of people enriches my life. I often learn things about the world through posted links and status updates that I wouldn't normally. Typically it's in easily digestible pieces as well which suits my lifestyle perfectly.