Facebook Is Actually A Modern Twist On A Centuries-Old Concept

Somewhere around 1560, a “friend book” started doing the same job Facebook does today, except the posts were handwritten, the likes were probably awkward, and the drama had better stationery.

These alba amicorum were used across Northern Europe to track friendships and professional connections, and they were surprisingly gendered. Young men traveled for universities and big-brain intellectuals, using their networks like LinkedIn for status and opportunity. Meanwhile, girls were often tucked into convents or positioned as ladies-in-waiting, where the rules were strict but the friendship books still became their secret social power.

And once you see Michael van der Meer’s illustrated entries, plus the aristocrats, the “pretty ladies,” and the gossip-filled pages from women like Juliana de Roussel and Jacoba Cornelia Bolten, it hits you: this is Facebook with a twist in technology.

"These books were used by young men and women in Northern Europe to record and keep track of friendships and professional relationships."

People believe this practice started around 1560.

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"Alba amicorum literally means 'friend book' in Latin."

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"These books were used by both boys and girls, but because of how society functioned in the 1600s, they used them for different reasons."

Young men often embarked on trips across Europe to attend renowned universities and institutions and to engage with influential intellectuals and academics. They relied on their networks of friends much like we utilize LinkedIn today, as a means of establishing valuable professional contacts.

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"These images come from the book of Michael van der Meer, who recorded his travels with impressive illustrations."

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"Some images depict members of the aristocracy."

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"And he apparently spent time with pretty ladies."

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"This might be an early version of the 'It’s Complicated' relationship option."

When guys were gallivanting around the continent, girls were typically sent off to convents or ended up as ladies-in-waiting. This gave them a leg up in mingling with the elite. Sure, they didn't venture far, but they were still all about those friendship books.

Unlike the guys' journals filled with scholarly or artistic notes, the girls' books were packed with letters from friends and admirers, funny inside jokes, and juicy gossip from parties. If the guys' journals were LinkedIn, the girls' were more like Facebook.

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Same stress as the Europe trip planning power struggle, where she wanted you to plan everything.

"Juliana de Roussel’s friend book was beautifully decorated as well."

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"This one belonged to Jacoba Cornelia Bolten, who was a socialite during that time period."

These books remind me a lot of Facebook but with a twist in technology. Instead of posting pictures and sharing articles, people wrote down their favorite sayings, song lyrics, and poems. Some women even penned their own poetry.

And get this: married couples could "update their status" by jotting down a note together. Yeah, it seems like even back then, joint social media was a bit of a headache.

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"Pages like this one from Margaretha Haghen’s book show guests recounting their time at a party."

This passage goes, "On day two of Shrovetide, we penned this rhyme for you. We were too drunk to head home; love had us all smitten. We drained every last drop from the bottle." I guess some things never really change.

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Album amicorum van Heinrich Flück

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The moment you realize Michael van der Meer recorded his travels with those wild illustrations, the whole “networking” vibe starts to look less like history and more like a curated feed.

Then the contrast lands, because while the guys were collecting scholarly notes and contacts, the girls’ books were packed with letters, inside jokes, and party gossip.

That’s when the “It’s Complicated” energy shows up, especially with the aristocracy sightings and the entries about time spent with “pretty ladies.”

And just to make it feel painfully familiar, married couples could update their status by writing a shared note, like Facebook but with ink.

It's kind of funny when you think about it.

The next time you see someone complaining about young people always being on Facebook or Instagram, you can remind them that people have always found ways to share the little things in life, even way back before the internet.

We're not doing anything new; we're just using phones and computers instead of paper and ink. It's just how we like to stay connected with our friends and show a bit of our lives, no matter what period we're in.

They didn’t just keep friends, they built a whole social life that still feels weirdly modern.

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