“In tribal cultures, your identity is completely wrapped up in the question of how people know you,” he says. “When you look at Facebook, you can see the same pattern at work: people projecting their identities by demonstrating their relationships to each other. You define yourself in terms of who your friends are.”

-- Michael Wesch, who teaches cultural anthropology at Kansas State University, quoted in a NYTimes article on oral culture, friendship and virtual connections and how our digital culture and age-old behaviors echo one another.