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Classic socializing beverages may soon be rendered obsolete by technology.

I have been a Facebook user even before it became a craze in Toronto, something I am quietly proud of. You know how people like to say that they were on board the hype train before it picked up steam? It's like when people say that they were listening to N'Sync back when they were underground. Yeah.

Anyway, a friend of mine from grad school (Hi Viara!) had invited me to join an online social network called Facebook. Without fully understanding what I was getting into, I registered. I added a couple of notes to my profile, wrote a few witty comments about how my feet smelled pretty bad on a distinctly hot summer day, then logged off (for reference, this was around August 2005).

My profile then sat dormant for over a year.


Socializing in the pre-Facebook era.

At teacher's college, a lot of my fellow teacher candidates began talking about their Facebook profile. "What the hell? People actually use that thing?" I curiously asked myself. The fascination of it all simply hadn't dawned on me. "You share pictures with friends, write messages to them - sounds a hell of a lot like e-mail to me." I decided to look up some old friends from high school and grade school to see who else had it.

And that's where I got hooked. Finding and reconnecting with old friends, if only for a message or two, was exhilarating. Memories of friendships past triggered memories of other friendships past, and the cycle continued.

Prior to Facebook, what took me an entire afternoon or evening to meet up for coffee/drink with an old friend (and bitching to myself for being so stupid as to actually agree to said meeting) now only took minutes. What's more, I could do it from the comfort of my own home, or even during school/work. Amazing!

Could the day ever arise where socializing beverages are no longer needed? Have we reached the point where technology threatens the marketability of drinks? Imagine that!

As I continuously reconnect with old friends and add new ones, I'm beginning to develop an inclination to log on Facebook everytime I hop online. It's bordering on addiction, much like my hook for coffee.

I need to crack the habit.


This woman is actually attending her high school reunion through Facebook. Notice the lack of a beverage.

UPDATE: This post was actually written in January 2007. Anybody who has me on Facebook has surely noticed that my activity has since dropped considerably. The crack-high only lasted so long. Now if you'll excuse me, my coffee is getting cold.