Being away from home made me more aware of the frailty of our social ties; how circumstancial it all is — friendships, and social relationships at large, are intrinsically dependant on time and place.

They can, nevertheless, due to groundbreaking, cutting-edge technological feats — be mended at distance.

Sometimes, the unbounded geography of the internet is amazing: I can carry friends in my pocket everywhere I go, and there’s someone around at every time of the day or night. Airports are no longer impersonal, insomnia is no longer isolating, and the most mundane grocery run can be livened up by a quick exchange with a pocket friend.

from Because Internet