Having ancient phones for which is a PITA to use any social apps can also be pretty helpful. I'm still using my iPhone4 (it can still take great pictures), but I cannot longer use Instagram on it (no big loss), WhatsApp stopped functioning about 2 year ago (that was not that good at first but I got used to it) and the FB app is slow as hell. If someone messages me on FB I only conjure up the courage and patience to open FB in my browser after half an hour or so, and only if it looks like it's anything that needed a quick response (from the preview). HN still works and for reddit I need to use the i.reddit.com version, but I visit these 2 websites less and less from my phone (it really drains the battery). I carry a book with me everywhere I go, though, that makes up for me not using the phone anymore.

How do you know?

How can anyone know?

Never needed it before, don't need it now. Pretty simple.

How would you keep in touch with a hypothetical friend who you cannot text because they live in another country and doesn't prefer email?

For most people, social media isn't strictly a necessity but it's essential for keeping in touch with friends, long distance family, and to see what's going on with those friends, e.g. events. So stating "deleting social media is the only answer" is counterproductive because it's a non-solution.

Not going into the 'social media' argument, but I don't think I can have a friend like that.

As I've gotten older, my tolerance for bullshit diminished. You don't have to be friend with everybody. If people are substantially different than you, chances are high you can't be best friends.

Writing messages through pigeon carriers may be entertaining for few days, but all of my friends are accessible through phone or email.

I am in my mid 20s, and while I don't think social media like Facebook is irreplaceable, it's damn near that because, without arguing semantics about the word friend, I have friends from all over the world (and even within the same country) who I want to keep in touch with or at least send the occasional, "Hey, how have you been?" Even more importantly, if I end up traveling, it's very easy to keep in touch with them whereas using email is not because they probably get too many emails a day and my email might fall by the wayside and phone is not possible. Beyond this, people change emails and phone numbers all the time, whereas their social media presence doesn't really change all that much.

Aquitances :) and yes, I also have FB for people all over the planet.

I was just saying more on how we choose who we give our time to, rather than the medium.

As for Facebook/Gmail etc. They are fine tools for now, as all other software companies, they'll be gone one day.

Facebook probably faster than Google as it will be turning into a graveyard network at some point.

Barring any circumstances other than the ones you mentioned, I don't keep in touch. If they can't be bothered to download some form of IM or email then what's the point? If they really want to hear from you they'd make somewhat of an effort.

Social media became 'essential' because the barrier to communication dropped drastically, effectively widening your net for useless connections and sucking you into a vortex of crap.

After deleting FB, I could only remember a handful of people that mattered, another few reaching out of their own accord who I'd forgotten about.

Can't for the life of me remember beyond 30~ people from my list out of 900~. I realized I truly did not give a fuck about Kristoffer from Norway that I met zip lining in Mexico in the summer of 08.