I have a friend who's rabidly anti-Facebook, who says that if someone is his real friend they'll phone him (presumably a hundred years ago he'd have been rabidly anti-phone, his real friends would write him letters on parchment). What FB does it it lowers the latency and friction of interactions that would happen anyway. If I want to go to a restaurant, FB lets me know exactly how many I actually need to book a table for just before I call them. If I'm planning an event, everyone going gets a reminder and a map. If I want to send someone a (real) birthday gift, it's an address book that updates itself.
What it might change is the real meaning of the word 'friend', or what it implies - all you can tell from being FB friends is that you're in someone's contact list. It doesn't really supplant real-world relationships.
What it might change is the real meaning of the word 'friend', or what it implies - all you can tell from being FB friends is that you're in someone's contact list. It doesn't really supplant real-world relationships.