Missing the connection

Most humans place a high value on connection, and I'm no exception to that rule -- even if I am an introvert.  So when I opened facebook this morning to find my newsfeed ticker -- that summary list of friends' posts and likes that slides down the right side of my page -- had gone missing, I felt bereft.

I spent a good deal of time trying to figure out what had happened and how to fix it, but all I was able to discover was that it seemed to be happening to a lot of other people as well, and they, too, were feeling the loss.

So my question is this: is that sense of connection we feel when we watch our friends' activities scroll by an illusion?  Or is it useful to have that daily opportunity to tap into what other hearts are thinking, feeling and doing?