Why we love Facebook

This week I’ll be travelling back to Boston, where I grew up. I moved away after college, so I’ve been in Indiana for 15 years. That’s a long time, but Boston’s my home, and it’s where I can still find most of my family and many of my best friends.

There’s also another place I can find them: Facebook. Thanks to the recent graying of social media, I’ve reconnected with a lot of my high school and college friends, and as a result:

• I’ve rekindled friendships with people I’d lost touch with, sharing old stories and catching up on the past 20 years
• A few acquaintances have grown into friends, as their interests and mine have become more alike than they were 20 years ago.
• Conversations with all of these people have become much more efficient. Now, instead of asking people what they’ve been up to, a glance at their status, photos or info page allows me to ask more specific questions and ultimately have more substantive conversations.

I hope to see many of my friends on my trip back home—and thanks at least in part to Facebook, it looks like that’s going to happen. Is it possible that we would have reconnected without social media? Yes, but because we’re connected online, I’m guessing the conversations will be a little better—and that those conversations will continue long after my plane brings me back to Fort Wayne.

--Anthony J.